Family Can Heal the Broken
by BSimagine14
Summary: Stiles is taken by a hunter who tries to turn him against the supernatural (and his friends). When Stiles returns feeling broken and like he has no family, but he's wrong. Can the pack prove this to him before his torturer comes back to finish his work? Rated M because I'm paranoid. I don't own Teen Wolf. Warning: character death and torture
1. Chapter 1

_/So I guess this is set after season 4, at least there isn't any season 5 (because that doesn't start until Monday, be excited) but I didn't really think too much about timeline for the plot. It's just a little idea that popped in my head after Liam was bitten. Warning: there is a character death, sorry. But it will get better and heart warming I promise./_

 **Chapter 1: A Rare Morning**

It was a rare morning, but it was a good thing, a good rare. For the first time in a long time Stiles was awake early on a Saturday morning for no reason and Sheriff Stilinski didn't have to leave so early for work. So there the father and son sat, eating breakfast and talking, something they hadn't done in a long time. It was something the two missed more than anything else. Life was so much more complicated now, with werewolves, foxes, alphas, coyotes, Darachs, Oni, Nogitsune, banshees, and dead pools but that didn't change how much they loved each other. Maybe it even brought them closer.

Stiles had been a miracle. Claudia, who had been diagnosed only weeks before discovering she was pregnant, had to refrain from medication while she was pregnant and everyone worried that she would take a turn for the worse and the Sheriff would lose them both. For nine months Stilinski was in a constant state of worry and fear. When he got a call while on patrol that he was needed at the hospital his heart sank. He was so afraid he would get there to find he had no family. But when he arrived, there was Claudia, looking gorgeous with sweat covering her beautiful face, dark circles under her eyes, and a stunning tired glow...holding a swaddle of blue blanket. As soon as she saw him she smiled, "He's here, sweetheart, he's finally here. You're a daddy." She held out the swaddle and the Sheriff took the small being into his arms.

With a breath of relief, he looked down into that perfect little sleeping face and he never knew there could be something so wonderful in the world. He never knew he could feel this way. He loved Claudia, she was everything to him but in this moment he felt this extreme joy, an extreme love, a new love. He knew at that moment that he never wanted to let that little baby go. He loved his son more than anything in the world.

Stilinski would do anything for his son but as much as he tried to protect his boy, Stiles always managed to get himself into trouble and out of it amazingly enough. He has raised his son to care about other people, to be loyal to his friends, and to be a hero even if he never saw himself as one. He hadn't meant to, he never wanted his son to live such a dangerous life but he couldn't help but be proud. His son might not be the true alpha or some powerful supernatural creature but he was still a hero. He was always there for his friends, he always had a plan, and he didn't think twice about putting his little fragile human self in the line of fire if it meant saving someone, even if it was only a stranger. He was proud even if it did scare him to death. But there were so many days when the Sheriff would catch Stiles working intensely on the computer or still sound asleep and all he could see was his little boy, that little baby who he vowed to protect and love with all he heart, all his being. And to have one normal morning where they could just sit and be father and son mean the world to him.

"So, dad, is there anything interesting..."

"No," The Sheriff stopped his son before he could finish. "We are not talking about work, mine or yours. Eat your pancakes and tell me about school." He took a bite of the food his son and him had made just a few minutes ago. "This is a normal morning between a normal father and son so we will have a normal conversation."

Stiles laughed and stuff a bite of pancake into his mouth. "Yeah, I don't know when you became delusional but we've never been normal. Even when mom..." Stiles paused, waiting to see his dad's reaction but when there was no sadness seen outwardly he continued. "Uh, even when mom was around we weren't normal. You practically had to hold me down every morning just to get me to sit still long enough to eat. Hell, I had crazy rants to tell back then. Then you would race off, late for work, and mom would try to get me to school on time. I'm too much of a handful to be normal. So we might as well talk about something insane, like a mass murderer or animal mutilations or..."

The teenage boy never got a chance to finish his sentence, the front door slammed open ruining their as close to normal morning they had had in a long time. The Sheriff jumped up, pulling his gun from his belt. But he didn't get a chance to use it, a loud bang ripped through the air and a bullet ripped through his shoulder, sending his gun flying to the floor in the direction towards their unwanted guests. "Dad!" Stiles started for his dad but in a split second he was being held tightly, his arms secured behind him. "Let me go! I can have a whole pack of shifters here in a matter of seconds!" He wasn't sure how he would get his friends here but they were his only threat, his only weapons really.

The Sheriff held his shoulder. "Stiles, calm down." He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain trying to find a way out of this situation with the lowest number of casualties as possible. "What do you want?" He looked up at the small group of men (including one woman), all wearing combat boots and guns. "I'm sure we can work something out. This doesn't have to be violent." He used his best negotiator voice.

"Dad! They shot you, it's already violent!" Stiles struggled against the muscle holding him. He couldn't stand to see his dad hurt.

One guy, obviously the leader of the pack, stepped forward. "I'm not here for you Sheriff. I didn't mean for you to get shot, Jimmy is just a little too trigger happy. So I apologize for that. Honestly, we had hoped you were already at work but we are on a strict time schedule so we had to improvise." He pulled out a syringe. "If you let me take your son here without any fight then there will be no casualties, no trouble at all. I've been promised a lot of money if I bring him in unharmed. And unlike Jimmy, I don't like to have to use my toys." He patted his gun with his free hand. "Do we have a deal?"

The father looked to where his gun had fallen. He knew he wouldn't be able to get to it in time and there was no way he could take them all out while assuring his son's safety. "Look, I'm sure we could make some kind of deal, something other than taking my son. I'll pay you." He glanced over to everything in the world that mattered to him and all he could see was that blue swaddle. "You can't take him. You are not taking my son, not over my dead body."

"Well if you feel that way." Before there could be another thought, a gun shot went off and the Sheriff hit the floor in a puddle of blood.

Everything stopped. His heart fumbled, his lungs stopped working properly, and a ringing filled his ears. Stiles couldn't function; he couldn't believe what was happening right in front of his eyes. He had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real. There had been enough terrible things to happen to him in his life, especially in the past five years, he couldn't lose his father. He just couldn't. "No..." It was the only thing his mouth could manage. His body went numb, he couldn't think, he couldn't move (something he never thought possible). It was barely a vague notion that he was being man handled.

It wasn't until he was pushed out of the kitchen, away from his dad, that everything snapped back into reality. Everything became loud, louder than the gun shot that ruined his life. Everything became bright with red, as if there was nothing in his mind but killing the sons of bitches that did this, that caused this nightmare. And suddenly he was flailing around. He was fighting with every ounce of his being, yelling obscenities. He was even yelling for his friends, praying one of the supernatural ears would hear him.

That's when there was a prick in his arm and everything went black. He was floating away to some other world, a world where he hadn't watched his dad bleed onto the kitchen floor. He tried to call out for his best friend, hoping maybe someone would save his dad. He didn't care about himself anymore, he was floating into a peaceful darkness, and he only worried about the man who had loved him since he was a baby: the man who had been his hero ever since he could remember, the man who was always there to hold his hand, and the man who looked out for him while no one else heard his screams in the middle of the night. His only family left.

If his dad was gone, if his only family was gone, there was no reason to fight anymore, so he let the darkness in. He let himself float away. Why would he even try to fight in the first place? He was just a worthless human, a stupid little boy who couldn't save his dad...

/ _I've written a few chapters for this story already so let me know what you think and if I should continue._

 _Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Pain Begins**

When he came to he was strap to a chair. He looked around but it was too dark to see anything. A voice came through the darkness making him jump. "I'm sorry about your father. I didn't mean for anything like that to happen." With the voice came the sound of heavy steps, like boots walking around in a circle, and then there was a tapping. Stiles couldn't figure out what the tapping noise was; some kind of metal maybe? "All I paid them for was you. There was no need for violence. There is enough violence in your life and plenty in your future. You didn't need that. So when I say I'm sorry, I truly mean it. Please understand that."

Stiles tried to adjust his eyes to the light but nothing seemed to help. His mind was still fogged with whatever they had dosed him with. "Who are you? What do you want?" He tried not to sound scared or weak. He needed answers.

The voice came closer, the metal tapping starting to sound dangerous. "Who I am isn't the important part. Who any of us are isn't important. The parts we play…now that's important. And you Stiles, you've been playing a very perverse role. I'm here to fix that." The voice was right behind him now, its breath touching the back of his neck and the metal tapping hitting the back of the chair. "You are a human, a smart kid, really. I mean, what would Scott have done without you? You found out about werewolves and so much more…" He stopped and placed his hands on Stiles' shoulders, finally the metal object was revealed. Stiles could feel a metal blade resting in the hand of the man, resting on his person. "I understand that you were protecting your friend in the beginning. You just wanted to protect the boy you considered your brother. I know that's how that started. But you saw the danger. You saw the monsters they are. And you still protect them. After all this time, it's not just a stupid kid's mistake thinking he's protecting a monster who used to be his friend. You made a choice, the wrong choice."

The knife came around to his throat and Stiles tried to pull back. "Scott isn't a monster. He never hurt anyone, at least no one who didn't deserve it. He's saved people, he doesn't kill."

"He turned an innocent kid." The knife pressed closer to his throat.

"He didn't have a choice! If he didn't bite him Liam would have died! Scott would never turn someone just to turn them. He is not a monster. He isn't doing this for power." Stiles felt a slight sting as the blade slid across his skin. "I would never let him hurt someone like that. We wouldn't let Liam hurt anyone. Or Malia or…" He didn't get to finish his sentence, a fist slammed into his jaw.

Another fist slammed into his ribs before the voice spoke up again. "You are sick Stiles. Your mind has been tricked into thinking these animals are good, that they are your friends. But they aren't Stiles. They will turn on you. You are a human, you aren't one of them. There are only two endings for you Stiles. You will either end up dead or you will turn into a monster yourself." The blade slashed across Stiles' chest. "You got a taste of that once Stiles. How did you like it? Do you want your life to end up like that? Do you want your life to be so bloody? Maybe if you hadn't been involved with them your dad would be alive right now. Think about that Stiles." The voice started to fade away. "Think about it."

"You are the reason my dad is dead!" Stiles pulled against his restraints, effectively knocking himself over to the floor still attached to the chair. "Scott!" Stiles didn't know who else to yell for. "Help me! Someone help me! Scott! Malia! Derek! Somebody!" He yelled until his throat was raw and he fell into a sore, nightmare-filled sleep, only to be awoken by more pain…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: It's Real and It's Going to be Okay**

Stiles was afraid to open his eyes. He didn't want another mind game, he couldn't handle that. One more false hope would shatter his heart. He couldn't let himself believe anymore falsehoods. No, when he opened his eyes he would fight. He wouldn't break. He would NOT, could NOT break. He was a Stilinski after all.

So, when a hand touched his shoulder, gently nudging him and using a stolen voice to wake him, "Stiles, bro, please open your eyes," he couldn't let the voice shatter his will. This was a trick of war. He opened his eyes, ignoring the relieved smile and grabbed the lie's arm as firmly as he could. "Stiles? Oh my God! Hey buddy, calm…"

Before it could finish his sentence Stiles had managed to twist its arm and shove him away, only slightly aware of how easy it was to break free. "No! You can't trick me anymore!" Stiles ignored the pain radiating throughout his body, trying to let the adrenaline take over. He pulled away from the wires and tubes attached to him, causing machines to go crazy as he jumped/stumbled from the bed.

"Stiles!" The lie reached out for him as he fell to the floor and tried to find a way out. "Stiles, it's me! It's Scott! You're safe now!" The teenager looked at his hurt friend as if he was a hurt animal brought into Deaton's and his heart broke. "God, what happened to you?" He knelt down to coax his friend to safety when a small huddle of hospital staff came running in, crash cart in tow. "Back off! He's just scared!" He tried to hold them back but it all happened too quickly. And he was still too shocked by the state of his best friend.

"No!" Stiles let out this terrible scream as several nurses held the struggling boy down and a doctor stabbed a needle into his thigh causing his body to slowly slump into the ground and the nurses' arms as he continued to mumble. "..can't…break…me…"

Scott finally pushed through his shock and went to his friend, gathering him up in his arms, pulling him up from the floor and the nurses who hadn't listened. "He ripped open his stitches." The smell of blood had filled the air again. He sat there holding his brother's hand, taking the pain and trying to sooth each frantic jerk or twitch while he was sown back together, refusing to leave the boy's side.

The next time Stiles awoke there was a soft hand brushing through his hair and when he tried to move away, he found himself strapped down. So he obviously hadn't left. "Sorry, sweetie, they had to restrain you so you wouldn't hurt yourself again. You tore out almost every stitch Stiles." Melissa McCall spoke before he opened his eyes, seeing his struggle. "You need to calm down." She hated to see him like this. "You're safe now."

Finally he opened his eyes, trying not to feel relief or hope at the sight of his surrogate mother's face. "You are NOT real." He said through gritted teeth and closed his eyes again trying not to cry, trying not to break. "You can't be real. I won't believe it. I won't be tricked again." He pulled on the restraints again trying so hard not to cry.

Melissa took the boy, who she had considered her own, took each side of his face in her hands. "I am real. This is real. You are safe now. Believe it. Please believe it sweetheart. Let us help you. Open your eyes and let me help you get better. You're home now."

When he spoke his voice was barely a whisper. "No." He refused to open his eyes.

Suddenly her hands were removed and were replaced by stronger, rougher ones gripping him. "Then believe this." Scott ripped the restraints holding his friends hands down and roughly held them up in desperation. "Open your eyes Stiles." When Stiles didn't obey Scott almost roared, wishing his alpha powers worked on Stiles. "Open them!" His eyes flashed red as Stiles finally complied. "Count, count them Stiles." And together they counted. First they counted Stiles' bruised and scraped fingers and then Scott's, each having ten. "Ten, Stiles, that's ten fingers." He gripped his friend's shoulders. "You're my best friend Stiles. I've known you since I was four. We met in a fricking sandbox. You destroyed my sandcastle, remember?" He smiled a little. "Remember this?" He pointed to the scar on his left cheek. "Three stitches. It was storming so we were playing lacrosse inside and you threw it too far, I hit the coffee table, remember? You cleaned my face off, held a cloth to my face, and dragged me to the hospital. You have always been there for me Stiles. I'm here now. I'm real." His eyes flashed again in frustration.

Shaking Stiles leaned into his friend. "It's…it's real." He let his friend wrap his arms around him. "It was all real…" He felt tears streaming down his face and into Scott's shirt. "My dad…" His body shook with sadness as his brother held him, pulling away the physical pain with his werewolf powers and trying to pull away the emotional pain with his hushed words of comfort.

"It's going to be okay Stiles, I promise. You're going to be okay." Scott held his best friend because that was all he knew to do. Even if he couldn't bring the sheriff back, heal Stiles' wounds, or find the guy who did all of this, then at least he still had his best friend back sitting in his arms. That had to count for something.

/Gahh awesome start to season five this week, right?! Anyways, thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: He Begins to Speak**

The edges of Stiles' vision still remained a little blurry form the pain medication but he was lucid. His heart sank a little when he saw a uniform walk into the room. He knew it was coming but he'd hoped he could have had a little more time. He didn't want to think about what had happened, he didn't want to relive it just yet. "Stiles, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take your statement. I thought it would be best if it was me, just in case there was anything…supernatural involved." Deputy Parrish stood at the end of the bed nervously. He hadn't seen the kid since they found him. "I'm sorry. I've held them off as long as I could but everyone wants answers."

Scott and Derek moved defensively to the sides of the bed not wanting Stiles to feel alone or pushed but neither spoke, wanting desperately to know what had happened. Stiles had remained evasive about his disappearance, injuries, nightmares, and scars. Not that he had been silent. No, true to his Stiles nature, the boy had been non-stop talking during his lucid moments since realizing this was in fact real. He gave one nurse the full history of morphine while she was injecting his hourly dose. He'd talk about anything except what he'd been through but no one wanted to push him.

Stiles tried to shift into a sitting position, only to feel pain slip past the strong medication. "You're not wearing a badge." Stiles eyes could only focus on Parrish's missing badge, allowing his mind to delay the panic from the truth. He knew the missing badge would lead to a conversation he didn't want to have either, but today was going to hurt anyways. "You're sheriff now, aren't you?" The boy was smart, no one could deny that. The deputy, uh sheriff, was foolish to think he could dupe the boy. But Stiles understood Parrish was only hoping to save the boy a little bit of pain.

Parrish looked at Stiles with guilt-filled eyes. Wearing that badge had been a constant struggle for him. He might have known the sheriff the shortest out of most of the people working at the station but the loss seemed to affect him the most. The sheriff had instantly taken the young law enforcement officer under his wing but after learning of his own supernatural abilities and the confusion that came with it, the sheriff took even more of a fatherly role. "Stiles, I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you…"

"No, dad liked you; he wouldn't want it any other way." Stiles laughed a little. "I said I was going to keep you around, didn't I?" Stiles tried to smile but the image of his dad lying in blood came to mind. He shifted again uncomfortably, wincing at the pain he caused himself. "He wanted a normal morning, you know. We were eating breakfast together. We hadn't done that in forever. He just wanted a normal morning and I couldn't even give him that." Guilt panged his heart. Finally, after all this time, he began to speak about what happened. "I was calling him delusional when a group of people with guns came in. They shot him in the shoulder to disarm him and grabbed me." Tears started streaming down his face but he made no move to stop them or wipe them away. His eyes glazed over, lost in the memory. "They didn't want him, just me. If he had just let them take me he'd be alive. But he put up a fight when they took me and they…" His voice broke. "He just dropped."

A warm hand wrapped around Stiles', he looked up half expecting to see the men who had grabbed him but it was Scott, tears streaming down his face too. "It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done. He just wanted to protect you."

Stiles shook his head. There was nothing, not a single word or string of words that could take his guilt or pain away. "We're supposed to protect each other." And just like that something clicked in Stiles' head. How could he be so stupid? "We have to protect each other! Shit! Why didn't I see this? He's not done with me. His lessons aren't over. Scott, where is everybody?" He turned to Scott and gripped his arm, ignoring the pain in his body protesting the movement. "Liam, where's Liam?"

"Everyone is fine Stiles, it is okay. Calm down." Scott went to run a smoothing hand over Stiles' back to calm him but stopped when Stiles flinched, remembering the terrible slashes. "Sorry, Stiles, just…" He didn't know what else to say.

"Just calm down?" Stiles began to shake. "I can't! He tortured me with a purpose Scott! He wanted me to hate you! To hate werewolves, were-coyotes, foxes, and whatever else! He wanted me to hate all of you, kill all of you!" His breathing and heartrate were quickening to an almost alarming rate. Flashes of his torment, what was called his "therapy", took over his mind. "The last session, the last thing I remember, was him telling me that you would choose them over me if it ever came down to it. He said Liam was your pup, your pack and I was just a human. I told him he was wrong and instead of lecturing me he got all weird and injected me with something. Next thing I know I'm rescued. He's setting up another test. I know it. I know this guy." How had he not thought of this? He couldn't just be let go. It's never that easy.

Scott tried to gently push Stiles back into the bed. "Or maybe he realized how stubborn you are and that he'd never change your mind so he gave up." He tried to give a reassuring smile.

"No. Come on Scott, there's a difference between optimistic and stupid." Stiles pushed further. "He would kill me if he gave up and he'd use me to take you guys out along the way. He's not the type to just give up or to not have a Plan B or Plan C. I know what I'm talking about here Scott, trust me. I've spent every day with his man for what felt like forever. All he ever did was talk, more than me even. The best way to get into someone's head is to let them into yours. I got into his head as much as he got into mine. You have to find everyone. You need to protect them, please." He pleaded.

"Stiles, what did he do to you?" Scott couldn't hold back the question any longer. He wanted to know even though he didn't. The idea of someone hurting his best friend like this and he did nothing to stop it made his stomach turn. He'd never felt so much guilt before.

Stiles looked down at his hands gripping his best friend's forearm desperately. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Just…just go help Liam before it's too late. Please, I can't let someone else die because of me. I've had enough of that for one lifetime." He tried to stop the tears.

Scott looked at his friend then at the others in the room who both nodded, letting him know his friend would be protected. "Okay, I'll make sure they're all safe, but I'll be back. Because he was wrong, you know. You're not just some human; you're my best friend, my brother. You _are_ pack." Scott squeezed his best friend's hand one more time before taking off at werewolf speed already pulling out his phone to call his pack. No one would be hurt on his watch again.

Parrish cleared his throat awkwardly after a few minutes. "Stiles, I know this is hard but what happened after they took you? We caught the men who took you and shot your father but they knew nothing and the trail ran cold. We tried so hard but…" He was at a loss for words.

Stiles shifted uncomfortably already feeling exhausted. "I woke up in a dark basement. A twisted hunter psychologist paid those guys to grab me. He knew whoever took me would be tracked. Between the police and the werewolves there was no way they could get away with it. So he hired some idiots with a few skills. He kept me locked up in complete darkness for what felt like forever. He'd ask me about the pack and punish me when I said nothing or when I lied. I wasn't going to give up anything so for every question he'd…" Stiles flinched at the memory, unable to say it out loud. "I don't know how he knew what he knows about Beacon Hills but he knew everything. He wanted me to join him. So then he tried to convince me that the pack wouldn't do the same for me. He did everything, anything to make me hate the supernatural. On the days he let me relax, when there was no pain, he would play videos of killing werewolves and other supernatural creatures. Or he'd inject me with stuff. He tried to get in my head." Stiles shook his head trying not to remember everything. Those details wouldn't help them anyways. "He didn't hide much. He was so confident I would become his apprentice that he just said everything. His name was Dr. James Carter. His had short blonde hair and blue eyes. He's about 6'2", I think, normal build. He's so normal looking before he picks up his tools and starts in with the lessons…"

Derek put his hand on Stile's shoulder, hoping to remind the boy he was safe, seeing a far away, vacant look in those haunted whiskey eyes. "Stiles, it's okay, you're safe now. He didn't break you." After all these years the boy's strength continued to amaze and surprise Derek.

"Yeah and my stubbornness has all of you in danger. I should have played along. Maybe he would have let me free long enough to do something useful, like kill the bastard." Stiles suddenly felt his muscles relax, tiredness taking over him. "I was stupid though, I thought I could prove him wrong." Blinking became harder, his eyes not wanting to open back up. "Not all monsters do monstrous things…" No longer able to hold it off, Stiles slipped into sleep.

Parrish raised an eyebrow noticing the black veins traveling up Derek's forearm as the teenager slowly fell back into the bed and drifted into a deep slumber. "What are you doing?"

With a final deep breath Derek took the last ounce of pain he could handle. "He's been having pain even with the medication. He hasn't been sleeping because of it. But his stubborn stupidity won't let Scott take the pain. So I took my chance while his guard was down, paying attention to something else. You got your information, enough of it anyways. He doesn't need to relive it." He could remember everyone trying to make him relive his past tragedies when he just wanted silence, painless sleep.

Somehow Parrish seemed to understand, nodding knowingly looking at the boy with something other than pity. "It would have killed Stilinski to see his son like this." He didn't know why he said it, it just slipped out. "Who does something like this to a kid?"

Derek sat down in a chair by the bed. "Stiles doesn't get to be a kid. In a world like ours you grow up or you die. It's not fair but that's just how it is. He's brave, strong, and smart. He's going to be okay. It's going to take time and a lot of help but he has a good pack, a good family even if he doesn't see them as a family right now. He's going to be okay."

Parrish pulled the other chair up to the side of the bed. "I'm sure you're right but I think the sheriff would want me looking out for the kid. And yes, I still said kid." They exchanged a stare and then turned back to Stiles sleeping restlessly in the hospital bed. And they sat in silence until Stiles woke up screaming an hour later…

/I'm sorry for the long wait for this update! I didn't have internet but I promise to update again really soon to make up for it! I hope you enjoy the update still. Thank you for reading, please review to let me know what you think, and have a great day! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Home**

The pack spent their time on high alert, no one was allowed to be alone and everyone had to check in with Scott every hour. Stiles was finally released from the hospital against doctor's orders. Melissa and Scott wanted him to come home with them but he had refused. He had spent so much time away; all he wanted was to go home. Home. He wanted to go home so badly. He had dreamt about home every night he had been allowed to sleep.

Pulling up to the house felt like one of those dreams. He couldn't remember leaving the house when he was taken. He was inside one second and then there was darkness the next, there had been darkness ever since. It was a relief but it was also a nightmare. He watched his dad die in there. The thought that there would most likely be a bloodstain on the kitchen floor entered his mind for the first time. He wasn't so sure he could take that. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, maybe he should just stay with Scott at his house. But then there was a hand reaching over, gripping his hand tight. Stiles looked up to see Scott giving him a reassuring smile. "You don't have to do this, Stiles. But I'm here."

With that Stiles took a deep breath. "No, I need to go home." He waited for Scott and Melissa to come around to his side of the car to help him out of the car and into a wheelchair. He hated that he couldn't walk on his own. He hated how weak he felt even though he was free now. He wanted to walk into his house with his own two feet. "Can't I walk?" He stared up at his make-shift mother.

Melissa gave Stiles a concerned look. "Stiles you shouldn't even be out of the hospital let alone out of bed…"

Scott held up his hand to stop his mom's rant. "Yeah, but Stiles isn't like most people. Others don't have a werewolf best friend who can do most of the walking for them." He held out his arm. "Come on, I'll let you pretend you're the one doing all of the walking the whole way there." He smile his sweet Scott smile. The kid was a born saint.

Ignoring the protests and concerns from the worried nurse, Stiles let his brother hold him up and practically carry him up to the house. "The key…" He looked to his friend who held out the ring of keys Stiles had always kept on him. It seemed like such a long time ago those keys sat in his pocket. He took them in his shaking hand and unlocked the door, taking longer than it should have. Even with the door open he didn't show any sign of wanting to move. "Scott. I don't know…" He caught himself before he could start crying. He was so tired of crying. "I can't go in the kitchen."

With a tighter grip Scott nodded. "It's okay buddy. We will only go to your room. I'll stay. You won't have to go anywhere you don't want to go and if you ever want to leave, we'll go." He waited for Stiles to nod before walking into the house feeling as though he was dragging Stiles. He made sure to avoid the kitchen, moving fast to the stairs and up to Stiles' room. He gently put his friend on his bed. "I hope you don't mind, mom kind of went a little crazy and came by to clean up your room. She changed the sheets too." He wasn't sure how Stiles would react but he feared for the worse.

However Stiles just nodded, looking around the room. He couldn't believe how normal it felt. It was just his normal room. He could almost trick his mind into thinking he had only just come home from a weekend away if it hadn't been for how neat everything was put away. He ran his hand over the clean sheets. "I'm home." It was still just so weird. He had doubted that he would ever be here again. But it also felt so weird to be home without his dad. Was it is still home without his dad? "How is it even possible? Shouldn't the bank have taken the house by now or something?" The real world sank into Stiles' thought process.

"Parrish said that it was still a crime scene and managed to keep it around. I'm not sure how much longer but…" Scott stopped himself. He couldn't let his friend think about something like this. "But you don't need to think about that, Stiles just get better. You're home and you're safe. That's all that matters. We will figure everything else out later."

Before anything else could be said Melissa made her way into the room. "Okay, you got your moment, now you're going to lie down and listen to what I have to say." She moved the sheets down and had her son lay Stiles down. "You are still pretty malnourished, if you don't drink enough water or eat enough I'll have to put an IV in again or even a feeding tube if you aren't careful." She set a bottle of water down on the stand next to the bed. "And I've set alarms for medication, Scott or I will make sure you keep up with them. I have to go to work but I'll be available if anything happens. Oh, and we have to keep checking your temperature. I'm still worried about infection. And Scott, remember what I told you about changing his bandages?" She gave the dark haired boy a stern look.

"Yes mom, I remember every word. And you gave me this." He pulled out the list of instruction for taking care of Stiles that looked like a mini-book. "I think I've got it. And Derek is outside making sure everything is safe too. We'll be okay. Right Stiles?" He turned to his friend who was trying to reach for the water. Scott leaned over and gave it to the thirsty boy. "Just go mom, we've got this."

She sighed looking back and forth between the boys. "Okay…I'll call during my break." She gave each boy a kiss on the top of the head before leaving, lingering slightly at the door, watching Scott laugh lightly at his friend who couldn't open the water bottle. She missed the days when her biggest concern was the boys getting hurt in lacrosse. When she turned to leave she was faced with a picture of her old friend, the dead sheriff, hanging on the wall. She wanted him back more than ever. Only he understood that feeling she just had looking at their boys. Only he understood those two boys and what they had been through.

Whenever she thought her life had finally fallen out of orbit the night her ex-husband shoved Scott there was only one person she could think to call: Stilinski. Now he was gone. Now the boys only had her. They needed her. She had promised the Sheriff she would take care of Stiles if anything ever happened and he had promised the same. So she wiped away the tear that had fallen and went to work.

Scott shook his head as he watched Stiles struggle to open the bottle of water. "Dude, maybe you shouldn't have left the hospital if you can't even open a simple bottle of water." He laughed a little, choosing not to be worried about it. Stiles didn't need his worry or pity, he needed to get better, and he needed to get back to normal as possible. So he took the bottle and turned it enough to break the seal before giving it back.

"I loosened it." Stiles removed the cap and brought the bottle to his lips, taking a sip as some fell down his chin. He coughed a little and winced. "My throat is still so raw."

Scott took the bottle of water and put it back on the nightstand. "Well maybe having something warm would help. I could make soup. Mom said you needed food anyways." He tried to give his friend an encouraging smile. The last time he saw Stiles eat anything he only threw it back up after two bites.

Stiles remembered the last time he tried to eat too. It wasn't so much that his stomach didn't want the food but every time he tried to eat his mind went to when his captor let him eat. Every meal was filled with the thought of killing and hurting his friends. The thought made him sick. How could he eat when food brought those thoughts to mind? How could he ever be okay with that? "I don't think I could keep it down right now." It wasn't a complete lie but he didn't want to tell Scott why food scared him now.

Even though the response was a little disappointing, Scott didn't let it show. "I could make some tea or…" He stopped, his head cocking to the side a little. "Someone is walking up the steps outside." He took a step towards the door and Stiles tensed. "Oh, it's just Derek." Scott relaxed. "Come on in Derek." He listened to the door open and the werewolf breeze up the stairs. "Did you see anything?"

Derek shook his head. "No. I've patrolled the whole neighborhood and there isn't a sign or scent of anyone who isn't supposed to be here. I'll keep up a regular patrol just case but no one has sensed anything." He turned to the boy in the bed reaching for the bottle of water on the nightstand.

Scott unscrewed the lid and gave his friend the water without glancing at him, keeping his focus on Derek. "So, you don't think we have anything worry about?"

"There is always something to worry about. This is Beacon Hills after all." Derek looked back at Stiles trying to take a drink of water. "If Stiles thinks there is trouble then we shouldn't take it lightly." He looked at the boy in the bed again with a hint of worry in his face. "Are you sure you shouldn't still be in the hospital? You look terrible." Just looking at the kid made Derek cringe; he might look better than before but he still looked horrible.

Again they were interrupted, both werewolves turning towards the door. Stiles barely had time to tense before Scott smiled. "Lydia is here. I think she brought food."

The strawberry blonde pulled out some soup once she had ordered the boys around after entering and sat herself on the side of the bed. "For a smart boy Stiles, you're very stupid. You never should have left the hospital." She held a spoon up to his mouth but he just stared at her. This was the first time he had seen her since he was rescued. He couldn't believe she was acting like she had just seen him yesterday and he hadn't been taken and tortured. "Come on Stiles, you have to eat." She held the spoon stubbornly.

"Your hair got even longer." He didn't know what made him say it. It must have been the fact that he didn't want to eat or talk about why he didn't want to eat.

She sighed but didn't move the spoon. "So did yours. Now eat."

He looked at the spoon then up at Lydia. "I don't think I can Lydia." Stiles fell back into his pillows and closed his eyes. "I just…" Before he could say anything else there was a spoon in his mouth filling it with a warm liquid. His eyes flew open in shock and he swallowed, unbelieving what his friend had just done. The shock kept the bloody images from filling his mind.

"That's a good boy." Lydia gave a condescending smile as Scott laughed in the corner of the room and even Derek let a smile slip. "Only a few more spoonful's left to go." She held up another spoon filled with soup. "Open Stiles."

He just stared at her with tired, but thankful eyes. "Do I really have a choice?"

"No. But if you refused I could always try making the spoon an airplane." She simply stated, as he let her feed him. It wasn't the whole bowl, his stomach couldn't handle all of it yet but it was just over half and that was a major improvement. With that bowl Stiles never once thought about hurting his friends or family. He thought of those in front of him, those helping him. They talked about school, about what he'd missed, how everyone was asking about him, and dying to see him again.

Five years ago Stiles would have only had Scott to come see him. Then there was Alison (until there wasn't), Derek, Lydia, Danny, Kira, Malia, and now Liam (of course there were others who had left but it was too painful to think about at the moment). Still, even with his dad gone, there were plenty of people there to help him, take care of him when there hadn't been at one time in his life.

Once Stiles had eaten, taken his medicine, had his temperature checked, and his bandages changed he fell asleep with comfort. Comfort knowing that he wouldn't be alone. There would always been someone there with him: Scott, Derek, Lydia, someone… Even if his dad was no longer in the house with him, this place could still be a home as long as there were still people who loved him hanging around.

But even if he fell asleep with comfort, Stiles woke with terror and screams…

/Hey, I said I would update really soon! Let me know what you think. Next chapter there will be more flashbacks to Stiles torture and we will see more of his captor's plan. Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Nightmares**

 _"They're going to be the death of you Stiles; you just need to accept that." A knife tore into Stiles' side as the voice whispered into his ear. "That is, unless you kill them first. You kill them, and you could save the lives of countless innocent souls. Give in Stiles. You know I'm right. End this torture. I don't want to hurt you."_

 _There was a voice deep down yelling for Stiles to give in, but he couldn't. "They're the ones hurting me? Yeah, last time I checked you're the one torturing me. I have this sneaky suspicion my best friends wouldn't stab me just for the sick pleasure of it like you, asshole. If you really don't want to hurt me then just stop this and let me go." That's it, keep up the snarky comments Stiles, you can make through this. You just have to survive long enough for Scott to find you._

 _The man laughed. "They've already hurt you Stiles!" He dropped the knife into Stiles' leg and grabbed a needle. "We're just going to have to do this the hard way, aren't we kid?" Without another word he stabbed the needle into Stiles' chest and injected its contents. "You'll see Stiles. You'll understand." His voice seemed to float as everything went black._

"NO! DON'T!" Stiles sat up from his sleep screaming at the top of his lungs, forgetting all about his sore throat. "NO! No, no, no…" He felt two strong arms hold him down and his heart quickened until he realized he was in his room and the arms belonged to Derek and not the man who had held him captive. He tried to catch his breath but it seemed impossible.

Derek turned the light on next to the bed. "Stiles, you're safe. You're home." He repeated the facts until the teenager's breathing and heart rate came back to normal. "Are you okay?" He asked, still afraid to take his hands away from the boy, wanting to help him.

"Yeah…I'm, uh, um, I'm…" Stiles didn't get the chance to finish his lie. Derek's phone went off. "You should get that, it could be important."

The older man didn't want to leave this conversation but he knew he shouldn't leave a call unanswered, especially at a time like this. So he answered the phone, and he was glad he did. Scott instantly started talking in a panicked voice. "Derek! Derek, we can't find Liam! He didn't check in with me and no one else had talked to him in the last hour so I went to check on him and his wasn't at home. Kira and I are driving around looking for him but I can't find him, I don't even smell him…Derek, what if Stiles was right? I've called everyone else and told them to all meet at Stiles' house."

Derek looked at Stiles who was looking at him as if he might break into tears at any minute. "Someone is in trouble, aren't they? He took one of them. He took Liam." He knew this was going to happen. He knew it wasn't over. He knew it and he still let it happen. What kind of friend was he?

Hesitantly, Derek nodded. "Yeah, look Scott, just calm down. We aren't sure if it is anything yet. Just check around, everywhere you can think, and then get back here. Make sure you call me to check in if you aren't here in the next fifteen minutes, okay?" He hung and looked back at Stiles. "I know you wanted to take things slow around everyone but they're all coming over here. I'm sorry but…"

"No, I get it." Stiles took a deep breath. He was worried what the effects of his captor's "lessons" would have on him when he was around all of them but right now that didn't have a choice. One of their own was in trouble, he had to help. "I told you this would happen. He's going to make Scott chose." Stiles tried to get out of the bed but Derek wouldn't let him. "Derek," Stiles made sure the older man was looking him in the eyes. "He's going to make Scott chose between me and Liam. He wants to prove a point. But you have to make sure Scott choses Liam. He's just a kid, he doesn't deserve…"

"Neither do you. We don't make choices like that in a pack, Stiles. We find a Plan B, remember? You're the one who said there's always a Plan B." Derek offered a hand and helped the boy down the stairs to the couch, hoping to avoid the kitchen. "You're just a kid too." He whispered just before the door opened.

Scott barged into the room with Kira in tow. "I can't find him, but I found this." He held up a smashed cell phone. "And look, I don't think this was an accident." He turned the phone over where a symbol was sketched into the back among all of the scratches. "That looks deliberate. Have you seen this before? Does it mean something?"

Everyone seemed confused but Stiles stopped breathing. "Yeah, I know that symbol." He tried to catch his breath but it felt like the world was crumbling around him. He was right back in that basement all over again. For a split second he could feel the doctor's breath down his neck, whispering lies. "That's his symbol. He wanted me to see that. He has Liam. He's going to kill him unless I kill all of you. He's going to present Scott with a decision to prove some point to me and then he'll expect me to kill all of you for that betrayal." Stiles felt his chest start to tighten as a nightmare, no a memory took over his mind.

 _A scream ripped out of his lips even though he tried to contain it. Stiles took a deep breath before looking back up at the doctor. "You know, tell me the type of blade that is and I bet I can give you a detailed history…" He was cut off by a punch to the face. "Yeah, that's real mature! You need more education in your life doctor! I'm only trying to help." Another punch._

 _"No Stiles, you're trying to deflect from your own education. I'm the one trying to help you. You see, you're so afraid that if you talk about your furry little friend I'll hurt them instead of you, but you're wrong my dear boy." He stroked the boy's face with a new blade. "No, I'm going to make you my apprentice just like my mentor did many years ago. And once your training…"_

 _"You mean torture and brainwashing." His comment only earned him a nice slash to the shoulder, but he refused to scream again. Not only was he stubborn but he was honestly tired of screaming, his throat ached from it._

 _The man cleared his throat. "As I was saying, once your training is over your first mission will be to kill off that stupid group of mongrels you call friends." The older man buried the blade into his body, careful not to hit anything important. He was very skilled in his work after all. "You will feel their blood on your hands Stiles and that's when you will feel real freedom. You will know then that what I'm doing now is worth it."_

 _"No, I'll never kill my friends. You, however, I wouldn't mind killing. I would gladly learn that lesson." Stiles' voice was weak but he had to keep talking, had to keep being sarcastic. He wouldn't break. He wouldn't let this man win. "You could never make me kill them. They're pack" He knew that would piss the guy off._

 _The man chuckled as he went to his table of "tools". He picked up and iron rod and dropped it into the fire at the side of the table. "You aren't a part of the pack Stiles, you are human. They might let you think that but when it comes down to it, they will always put their own kind before you. And one day you will learn that even if I have to force it and that betrayal will push you over the edge. You will kill them with a smile on your face and will turn to me knowing who your real family is." He gave a sick grin before pulling the iron rod out of the fire and holding it tight to Stiles' chest._

 _Stiles tried not to scream, tried to say something back to defend his pack. Hell he just tried to stay conscious but again the blackness won and the man's words continued to play through his head._

"Stiles? Stiles are you alright?" Scott waved a hand in front of his friends glazed over eyes.

Stiles felt a panic attack on the verge of taking over him. "Oh god, what if he let me go because he did win, I broke. I finished my training. This is the last step." He clenched at his shirt and his hair. "Oh god Scott, I'm going to kill all of you…" He was quickly being lost in panic.

"Hey, Stiles, it's okay. He didn't win. He's not going to win." Scott gripped his friend's shoulders. "Here, do you need to count my fingers again?" He tried to pull him friend out of the panic attack like he did once before. "Stiles, you're safe."

Trying to take deep breaths Stiles shook his head. "But you aren't."

"Stiles come on, no offense, but you just got out of the hospital. You could barely open a water bottle. How could you hurt me? How could you kill a bunch of supernatural beings like…" Before Scott could finish his sentence of false comfort he felt a pinch in his hand and behind his neck as he lost the ability to move his body. "What…"

Stiles leaned over him, one hand holding a pressure point on his hand and the other holding a pressure point on his neck. "You're senses are enhanced which makes your pressure points more sensitive." For two seconds he saw red, the need to kill the werewolf under him. It brought him from his panic but it scared him. Maybe he did finish his training. He quickly removed his hands. "I told you Scott, he tortured me with a purpose." His voice was so quiet only a werewolf could hear it.

Silence filled the room for several minutes. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage." Derek was the one to finally break the silence. "He trained you, right?" Stiles just nodded numbly. "That means you know his tactics. You know how he will attack or how he will defend himself. We can use you to stay two steps ahead."

"We're already two steps behind him. He has Liam." Stiles curled himself into a ball on the couch. None of them understood.

"There's always a Plan B, remember Stiles?" Scott smiled. "We're going to get Liam back. We're going to make it through this without a death count. I promise." He rubbed a hand up and down his friends arm.

A small alarm went off, letting them know it was time for Stiles' medicine. Scott jumped off the couch to get the small orange bottle and some water. Stiles took it willingly before curling back into the couch. "If we're going to fight him, then you're going to have to know more about him." The pills made him feel like he was drifting, like this was all just another nightmare induced by his captor's needle.

/And there's the next chapter with just the beginning of how crazy Stiles' captor really is. I hope you enjoyed but let me know if you did or didn't. Anywho thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: What I've Done**

Blood covered his hands, dripped down to the ground. It was warm and sticky. Stiles looked up from his hands to see Malia lying on his bed her chest ripped open, her heart on display. Without much hesitation, Stiles reaches up and takes the heart that's no longer beating. "I thought it would look different." He examined the organ carefully.

"What did you expect? We're still human Stiles." Derek said from the doorway, his eyes glowing. "How could you do it Stiles?"

Stiles smiled. "She was a monster. Just like you Derek. Just like Scott, Kira, and Liam. You're all monsters. If I don't kill you then you'll just kill me." The boy turned as he dropped the heart on the ground and pulled up his gun, pulling the trigger before Derek pull out his claws. The wolf's bane bullet knocked the older man to the floor so Stiles could stand over him. "And you thought I was defenseless. You thought I was weak. Didn't you Derek?"

"Stiles, please…" The dark haired man begged.

But Stiles paid no attention to the begging. He pulled the machete from out from his back pocket and started to carve. "Stiles!" Scott came running down the hall too late. "Stiles! NO!"

 _"Stiles!" A terrible voice interrupted the vision._

 _"No!" Stiles tried to sit up, stopped only by restraints. "No, no, no, no…" He looked down at his hands to see blood on them._

 _A breath ran down the back of his neck. "Don't worry, that's only your blood, for now at least. I just wanted to give you a taste." The doctor walked around the chair, jiggling the syringe in his hand. "It's amazing what one can come up with when they mix science with the supernatural. Just one dose and I can control your dreams. Pretty inventive, is it not?" He smiled._

 _Stiles took several deep breaths. He hadn't killed them. He wasn't going to kill them. This sick freak was just trying to get in his head. But he's fought something much stronger that tried to mind screw him before and he made it. He can do this. "Not really. I've had a Nogitsune in my head, remember? You're going to have to do better than that."_

 _The man only smiled more. "Oh that's a challenge I accept." He plunged the needle deep into Stiles' thigh once more…_

Stiles woke with a start, a hand on his leg. "Stiles? You fell asleep. We weren't going to bother you but then your heart rate…" Kira couldn't hide her concern. This was the first time she was seeing him since he'd been back. Her eyes couldn't leave the scars, deep circles under his eyes, or the obvious weight loss. He looked worse than when they'd been fighting the Nogitsune. "Are you okay?"

The boy cleared his throat and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Someone sat down next to Stiles on the couch, making him jump slightly until he realized it was only Scott. "The others are almost here. Are you sure you can handle this?" He didn't want to push his friend but they didn't have a choice.

"Yeah, I…" Before he could finish the door was opening and Malia was walking into the room. "Malia…" His breath caught. He'd imaged himself killing her so many times he had forgotten what she looked like without blood covering her, forgot what her eyes looked like so full of life. The image of her walk towards him almost sent him into another panic attack. How could this be real? But then a hard slap was delivered to his face. "What the hell…?"

"Malia." Scott tried to be stern but he was shocked as well.

The coyote crossed her arms. "He wouldn't let me see him. Why wouldn't you let me see you?" Her eyebrows came together. "I wanted to see you but it's like you just left me." To everyone else her voice sounded as indifferent as it usually did, but Stiles could hear the hurt.

"I wanted to see you too. I just…I couldn't." He couldn't look at her. Intellectually he knew what he thought he'd done wasn't real. He hadn't hurt Malia. He shouldn't feel guilt for it. But what if he did hurt her? She trusted him so easily…she was the perfect target…

Suddenly Malia was kissing him. _This is the perfect moment to stab her with a wolfsbane soaked dagger_. The thought jumped into Stiles' mind on reflex. It scared him. He shouldn't be thinking that while a girl is kissing him. "Hey, Malia, you have to take it slow." Scott, thankfully, pulled the girl away from him. "He needs to recover."

Malia shrugged her shoulders and said down next to Stiles, obviously not wanting to be too far away from the boy. "Fine. So what's going on?"

"Liam is missing." Scott sat on the other side of Stiles.

Two more footsteps came through the door. "We think we know where they might have taken him, though." Lydia's voice was heard before she was seen. Her and Parrish, not in uniform, came into the room together.

"How? I lost the scent…" Scott said with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, you lost the scent. Thank god we have someone who actually knows how to track people without their nose." Lydia scoffed. "Police work Scott, it does work on occasion." She stopped, her eyes going to Stiles, wondering if her comment would upset him but he just kept his eyes on his hands as if something were on them. "We think we found something outside the school."

Parrish took a step forward. "There were fresh tire tracks leaving the school. Lydia got a bad feeling just being around them. We found the same tire tracks by the woods just outside town. I thought we should get back-up before going out there, maybe make a plan of some kind before we just run in there guns…" Before he could finish his sentence Scott's phone went off. "Who else do you know outside of this room McCall?"

Scott thought it might be his mom but when he looked at the caller ID, it was Stiles. He looked at his friend and then back at his phone. "It's Stiles' phone." Everyone went quiet as he answered. "What do you want with Liam? Where is he?"

There was a chuckle. "Straight to the point, I like that." The voice was scratchy and deep but also slightly whiny as if he had a stuffed nose. "I want to talk to Stiles."

"No, you're never talking to him again." Scott's whole body tensed. "You can talk to me. What do you want with Liam? Do you want money?" He knew the man didn't want money but maybe there was some way out of this. "Or do you want me? Is that it, do you want a trade? Him for me?"

The man laughed. "You really are that dull, aren't you? Let me talk to Stiles. I won't talk to anyone but Stiles. He knows me. I bet he misses me on some level." There was a definite smile on his lips as he said it that made Scott want to puke. "Don't you want your pup back, McCall? The only way you're going to get him back is if you let me talk to Stiles."

The teen turned to his friend. "He wants to talk to you." He held out the phone reluctantly. He didn't want to put his friend through anymore trauma but he didn't know what else to do.

Before Stiles could say anything the doctor started talking. "Do your friends know about me, yet? Do they know what I've done, Stiles?" He laughed. "More importantly, do they know what you've done? Have they been informed on the training you so adamantly called torture? If they really are your friends, as you've claimed time and time again, then you should tell them shouldn't you? True friends can forgive even the worst things. But you don't regret what you've done, do you? And that's what they won't be able to forgive. I turned you into something wonderful Stiles."

"No." Stiles found his voice. "What I've done was…" He couldn't finish his sentence with everyone looking at him. "Where is Liam? What do you want?"

There was a hum before the man spoke again. "Can you forgive what you've done? Can you accept what you've become? You're going to have to if you ever want to see Liam again. I'm sending you a little present, a special gift just for you. If you handle it the way I taught you to, then I'll give you a location. You and your friends, assuming they're still your friends, can come face me. Once we've had a little face to face I'll give you the location of Liam. Deal?"

"It's never that simple with you." Stiles said through gritted teeth. "What are you going to do?"

The doctor laughed again. "Oh, Stiles, my dear boy, where's your sense of adventure? I thought you were the spunky one."

"I have plenty of spunk doctor, just enough left to…"

Before Stiles to finish his snarky comment he was interrupted. "Be careful Stiles, I do have Liam sitting in your seat. And your gift is about to arrive any minute now. Have fun apprentice." With that he hung up and the doorbell rang.

Derek went to the door with Scott, taking defensive stances. But when they opened the door there was only a red wooden box with Stiles' name on it. They couldn't pick it up; it seemed to be made of mountain ash. So Lydia had to pick it up and bring it to the boy sitting on the couch. "It could be an explosive; you should let me look at it." Parrish mentioned, still thinking like a cop instead of someone involved with the supernatural.

With a deep breath Stiles shook his head. "No, he never liked explosives. Plus, I think he still has hopes that I'll join him. I think I know what this is and I think I know what the gift on its way is." Slowly Stiles opened the box to reveal an old friend, an old nightmare. "That bastard…" With shaking hands he lifted the dagger out of the box. "You guys need to leave. Now."

 _"Stab him Stiles. Put the blade through the flesh. It's natural. We are made to kill beasts. It's no different than killing a deer, bear, or real wolf." The doctor's voice whispered heavily in his ear, his breath a constant ghost on the back of his neck. "Do it Stiles. Do it and this will all end. Don't you want it to end? Aren't you tired?" His voice was sickly sweet._

 _With tears drying, Stiles pulled the blade down on the shaking, shivering, and begging form tied down below him. A release came over his body. He did it. And he did it again. He kept moving the small dagger over and over until the begging stopped and the body stilled all its moving. The beast was dead. "Oh god, what have I done?" Stiles stepped away once the deed was done and his senses came back to him but the dagger was still placed in his hand. It was weird, but it seemed to fit perfectly there as if it belonged; made just for his hand._

 _The doctor smiled, he finally had accomplished something with Stiles. "Be proud of what you have done Stiles. This is only the first step."_

 _Stiles backed away until he hit the wall, slowly sliding down it, as he kept shaking his head unable to believe what he had finally become and what the doctor had finally gotten him to do. "What have I done?"_

/There is the first contact with the captor! There will be a fight scene next with Stiles being a bad ass next. I hope you guys are enjoying this, let me know please. Anywho thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Gift**

The whole house shook. He knew what was coming but he didn't want to face it. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't…no, this can't be happening, maybe he had never escaped and this was just another delusion, another lesson. "No, no, no." Stiles shook his head, his eyes transfixed on the dragger, refusing to look at anyone standing around him.

"Stiles what's going on?" Lydia tried to break through Stiles' chant of no's.

Everyone took a step back when Stiles jumped up, dagger ready in his hand. "You all need to leave before it gets here. You're not going to like what you see. I'm sorry." He whispered the last words.

"Stiles, we just got you back, we aren't going to just leave you. Who is this guy? What gift? What's going on?" Scott asked, full of confusion. His mind was reeling with questions ever since the phone call. What did he mean what Stiles had done, what Stiles had become? "Stiles just talk to us. We can help…" Before he could finish his sentence the front door shattered, breaking into pieces.

A large man in torn clothes came through the broken door with his teeth elongated into fangs and his nails drawn out into claws: a werewolf. But he wasn't just any werewolf. As the others in the room stepped forward ready for a fight the man's eyes glowed red, he was an alpha. As he threw Derek and Parrish easily across the room, they realized he was a strong alpha.

As the fight ensued something clicked for the boy with the dagger, his instincts switched into what the man had drilled into him. Stiles waited, like he'd been trained, and not too long into the fight there was the perfect opportunity. While the alpha was holding Scott against the wall Stiles snuck over and drove the dagger into the werewolf's side and pulled the poisoned steel down into the meat. When the beast dropped Scott, Stiles pulled the dagger up and across the roaring werewolf's chest. Then, without a second thought, Stiles took the dagger out long enough to make another slash into the creature's torso, making a large X. The werewolf howled in pain and slashed out, leaving four marks down Stiles' shoulder but the boy didn't show any sign of feeling the slashes. He positioned his hand perfectly on the X, pushed in with his dagger and pulled it out with the heart on the tip of his blade. The werewolf dropped to the ground before Stiles could even register what he had done.

The room had gone from unbelievably loud with growls, howls, and grunts of fighting to complete silence. The only noises were the heavy breathing of those who had been fighting the dripping of the dead man's blood. No one could believe what they just saw. Stiles had killed at alpha single handedly. Stiles, skinny, defenseless Stiles had killed a man. Not even Scott, the true alpha had killed someone. This wasn't the Stiles they knew. This wasn't the Stiles they had all known and loved.

The boy in question fell to the floor on his knees in front of the dead body. Derek seemed to be the only one who could move while everyone else froze in pure shock. The older man walked forward and placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "It's going to be okay Stiles." He tried to give the same comfort the boy had once given him.

Stiles shook his head. "No it's not." Stiles dropped the dagger, letting it hit the ground with a sickening noise because of the heart still attached to it. "No one touch the blood. The blade was poisoned with a special wolfsbane." He tried to keep his voice mechanical but it still came out like he was holding back a sob. "I need to clean this up." Stiles tried to stand up, but the adrenaline that had just been pumping through his body seemed to have drained away and he swayed as soon as he stood.

Luckily Derek was there to catch his elbow (the one free of poisoned blood). "You're still weak Stiles. We will find a way to clean this up, you need to go upstairs and shower and bandage your shoulder. Then you're going to explain to us what just happened and who was on the phone. We need to know more about what happened to you when you were…when you were taken."

Stiles took a few steps away from his friends and leaned on the wall. "I'm sorry." He whispered, unsure of what else he could say. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll help you upstairs." Lydia put one of Stiles' arms around her shoulders and led him upstairs.

Everyone just stared at the body in front of them. "How was he even able to do that? He can barely stand on his own." Scott couldn't believe what he had seen with his own eyes. "I mean, how could he have learned any of that? We saw the scars. Hell, we saw the new marks." The teen turned to the officer in the room. "Remember when he came back? He was mumbling something. Do you remember what he was saying?"

Parrish thought back to the day the boy had stumbled into the police station covered in blood with only a pair of torn boxers on and nodded. "Yeah, it didn't make sense then and honestly I was just too shocked to see him to pay attention to what he was saying fully. But I wrote some of it down. Something Sheriff Stilinski taught me was to never let anything go unnoticed." He pulled out the notebook as the memory of that day flooded his mind…

 _It had been an uneventful day, not even a noise complaint. But it was just after three o'clock which meant it was time for Scott's daily check on Stiles. It had been over a year and the boy refused to give up. Parrish hadn't given up either but he also couldn't keep using police resources on a cold case._

 _The young officer was ready for the dark-haired teen to walk through the door but what he wasn't ready for was the red head, who he'd come to really care about, to come running through the door as well. "Lydia? What are you doing here? Scott, what's wrong?" He noticed the stone expression of fear of Scott's face. He pulled the two into his office, even if he still called it Stilinski's office most days._

 _The petite teen shook her head. "I had this dream last night and then today during free period I was driving around and found myself parked in front of Stiles' house. And just now…" Tears were streaming down her face. "I've felt him before. I've had nightmares and glimpses of Stiles but nothing like this. There was so much blood and then…and then it was like I was just wondering. I couldn't find anything. I was wondering around the woods and the streets, just lost. I wasn't scared or trapped anymore, just lost. But I wasn't me, I was Stiles…" She ran her manicured fingers through her silky hair._

 _"I found her wondering around headed towards here. I think it has something to do with Stiles." Scott put a hand on Lydia's shoulder. "This is the first lead we've had in…" Before he could finish his sentence there were gasps and other officers yelling for Parrish at the front._

 _The three of them rushed to the front door to see the unbelievable. There stood Stiles, trembling and mumbling. Blood was still dripping off of him. Deep cuts and bruises covered his body. He was only wearing the thin fabric of a pair of boxers that were torn in most places and drenched in blood as well. But the hardest part for Parrish to look at, even though he'd been to war and seen some terrible things while on the force, were his feet. The boy's feet were torn, blistered, and bleeding. It looked like he'd been walking for miles on bare feet._

 _After the shock had finally subsided at the sight of seeing the lost boy, Scott and Lydia ran to their friend even if he flinched at their sudden presence and Parrish quickly ran to grab a shock blanket to wrap around the young man. "Stiles, you need to sit while someone calls for an ambulance. Someone get a bus here!" Parrish yelled the last part over his shoulder as he wrapped the blanket around the kid._

 _Obviously traumatized and in shock, Stiles just kept mumbling. "I don't want to kill them. I can't kill them anymore. The pain was better, just bring the pain back. I can't kill them." He held onto the blanket as if it were a lifeline. "I just have to get to my dad. Once I get to my dad, I'll be safe. I can sleep."_

 _The three hovering over their new found friend looked up at each other with concerned faces afraid that Stiles didn't know about his father's death. "Stiles, buddy," Scott cautioned. "Your dad, um, well when you were taken your dad was…"_

 _"No!" Stiles' scream cut him off. "No, no, no, no, no…" He started gripping his hair letting the blanket fall. His friends shuttered seeing the wounds up close again. "He's always alive in the dreams. He has to be alive. How do I stop the dream…" He looked up at Scott with complete and utter fear in his eyes. "No, no I won't kill him. You can't make me. I won't do it!" He started freaking out, trying to get far away from everyone. "No, no, no, I won't kill him! I won't kill anymore!"_

 _Lydia approached her friend. "It's okay Stiles, you're safe. You found us. You can sleep now; you don't have to do anything else." Her voice was so soft and gentle._

 _Scott took a step next to Lydia. "Yeah, buddy, you can sleep now. You're safe. I'll keep you safe, I promise." He put a hand on Stiles' shoulder, taking some of the pain hoping it would relax Stiles. "Just calm down, it's all going to be alright. You're back, you're safe." He just kept chanting words of comfort until Stiles sat back down and eventually passed out between Lydia and Scott while they waited for the ambulance fearing what had happened to their friend._

After calling Deaton, the group had managed to clean up the mess and a few minutes later Stiles stood at the top of the stairs with his hair wet from the shower. "I don't think I can make it down the stairs. Adrenaline helps to take out an alpha but the crash from it just…" He blew air out of his mouth and tried to smile as Scott came to help him down the stairs and settle him on the couch. "Thanks."

Everyone was quiet for a while, still unsure on how to broach the subject. "Stiles, what just happened? How did you do that? You can't fight. How did you know the dagger was poisoned?" Malia broke the silence with her bluntness.

Stiles laughed a little at Malia's candor. "It's a long story. He didn't just torture me, it wasn't that simple. He wanted to turn me into someone like him. He called them his 'lessons'. At first he would just rant and give facts while he tried to break me. Words and bruises, that was step one. Then he started playing mind games on me. He would inject me with this stuff to mess with my dreams. It was non-stop torture. I couldn't escape it. Even if I passed out during one of his sessions he would just inject me and I'd have to endure it in my dreams. That's when he would show me videos of his kills and tell me about his techniques." Stiles wiped a tear that had escaped his eyes.

Scott sat down next to his friend and put a hand on Stiles' knee. "It's going to be okay."

"No it's not Scott. You haven't heard all of yet and I don't think you will like me when I'm done. I don't think any of you will." Stiles stared at his hands as if they were still covered in blood.

/Tada! Next chapter! I'm definitely going to have more with Stiles and the crazy psych, hunter doctor but I was wondering what you guys would think about some flashbacks from Scott's point of view from when Stiles was missing, worth it or leave it out? Anywho thank you so much for read, please review to let me know what you think, and as always have a great day! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: What I've Become**

Even with the lack of energy and the pain radiating throughout his body, Stiles' knee couldn't stop jumping. "There were a two months when the pain stopped. When he put down his blade, torch, and whip as long as I was a good student, a good apprentice. That's what he wanted, an apprentice. At first I was willing to do it. I was willing to do anything just to make it stop. He made me believe you didn't care, that you weren't even looking for me. And I was so tired. I could handle the pain but I couldn't handle…" He stopped, running a hand over his face.

"Couldn't handle what?" Malia asked naively.

Stiles took a deep breath before answering. "I couldn't handle the mind games. It was too much like the Nogitsune. It was just another Hell but worse because it didn't have the limits that the real world has. I just wanted to sleep. I thought maybe…" He took in a shaky breath. "I killed people. I did what he said and I used his techniques and I killed. I turned into the perfect apprentice. But after I'd healed, after I'd slept a full night's rest…I realized what I'd done. I wanted to stop. He said I couldn't stop, that I'd become something I could never undo. He said I had become him." That night haunted Stiles more than the night he'd been introduced to the flame torch.

 _Dead, cold eyes looked back at Stiles. He had done that. He had made those eyes lifeless. Before he could stop it, bile violently made its way up his throat and out. He threw up until he dry heaved, until there was nothing left. Tears streaked down his face relentlessly._

 _When a hand came down on his shoulder he jumped. "You did good, my boy. Third kill. You must be feeling pretty good about yourself."_

 _Stiles shook his head fiercely, completely ashamed with himself. "No, I can't do this. It's not worth it. I can't kill anymore. I won't kill anymore." He tried to stand up in defiance but was kicked back to the ground with a steel-toed boot he knew all too well. "Fine! Kick me! Punch me! Beat the shit of out me! Cut me, burn me, do whatever your imagination can come up with! Even bring back the injections! But I won't do this again! I can't." He cried into his blood covered hands. "I won't…"_

 _The man, the doctor, bent down to Stiles' level. "Yes you will. If I have to beat you before each kill, I will. But after each kill there is a bliss, a sweet point, and you know it. Simple psychology, conditioning, I'll make that bliss more. I'll make you crave it. Soon you will be begging me to let you kill another monster. My method works Stiles. It worked for me. It worked for my predecessor. It worked for the man who taught him and so on and so forth. You're going to become just like me Stiles."_

 _"No…" Stiles tried to cover his ears but the blood of the dead on his hands dipped down his neck. "No, no, no…." He tried to shut his eyes and wake up but this wasn't a vision or dream brought on by the injections. Stiles really did have blood on his hands. "I won't be you!" He stood up and sent his foot into the man's side. "I won't be you!" He kept hitting until the man started to laugh. "What are you laughing at?" Stiles spat at him in disgust._

 _The man looked up at the boy with blood staining his teeth. "Look at what you're doing. You're already me." He started laughing again as shock took over Stiles face. "Just accept it and let me finish your training Stiles."_

 _Stiles took a shaky step back. "No." His voice was just a whisper again._

 _"Fine. We'll do it the long and hard way then. But one day, one day you will become me. I will give you the final test and you will do what you did today to those ugly little friends of yours and you won't be nearly as conflicted as you are today. You'll smile like this." The man put on a big smile before slamming his fist into Stiles' face and making his world go black._

Stiles couldn't look at his friends. "He always said the final lesson would be killing all of you." His voice was so fragile and scared, but not because he was afraid the man would come after his friends. He was afraid he would.

"Well that's just ridiculous." Malia shook her head.

Stiles went to protest but Scott stopped him. "Malia is right. That's crazy; you wouldn't kill any of us, Stiles. You wouldn't kill any of your friends."

"Really? Are you sure about that Scott?" Stiles felt tears threating to come out. "Because the way I remember it, I've killed my friends before. Or have your forgotten all about Allison and Aiden?" He looked up at everyone in the room. "You shouldn't trust me. I've been gone for too long with someone who makes it his business to mess with peoples' minds and to make them into killers. I don't want to hurt any of you but I don't know what I'd do if…" He couldn't finish the thought.

Lydia took Stiles' hand. "It's okay Stiles. I believe in you. You aren't going to hurt anyone. Before, that wasn't you. You couldn't fight that, not like this. You still have control of yourself now. We just have to fight this psycho like everyone else. I'm not screaming for any of my friends tonight."

Before anyone could say anything else Scott's phone went off. Without letting anyone take the chance, Stiles answered it when his number was the one to pop up on the screen. "I did what you wanted. I killed a werewolf in front of all my friends. Now tell me where Liam is." Stiles tried to keep his voice as calm and even as possible.

"Yes you did, my good boy. You handled that pretty well. Although, I'll admit I was a little upset when you didn't take him out right away. It was like you were hoping your friends would take care of it for you. I thought we discussed being your own hero?" The man laughed.

Stiles was losing his patience. "Just tell me where Liam is at you asshole."

The man clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, my dear boy. We have to do this right. Or have you already forgotten all about our time together? I'd hate to have to abandon this just to go back to step one all over again. And to be honest, I'm not sure your back could take that many lashings right now. And you really should eat something Stiles…"

"TELL ME WHERE LIAM IS AT!" Stiles gripped the phone almost hard enough to break it.

Again the man's laugh came through the phone to haunt Stiles. "You know where I want to meet you Stiles. Your first battle ground, the place you lost your virginity of sorts. The first time you caused a massacre without anyone but yourself controlling your body." The man took in a deep breath. "Oh Stiles, I can still smell all of the blood here, it's beautiful. Come here and I'll have your finally lesson arranged. Then, then you will be ready. Everything will be better. You will be better."

"I'm going to kill you, doctor." And Stiles meant it.

A laugh threw Stiles off. "If you kill me Stiles, then my training still didn't completely fail. You might not be fighting for my team but you aren't the sweet, innocent boy who didn't believe in killing anymore. You aren't naïve like that friend of yours, Scott. You know you can't save everyone. You know not everyone is worth saving. I just hope I can prove to you who those who are passed saving are. I'll see you soon boy." With that the call ended.

Stiles put the phone down slowly. "He wants us to go to a town close to here. There's a forest with this clearing about two miles in. It's not too hard to get to. I'll be able to find it pretty easily." A chill ran down his spine thinking about the last time he was there. He'd never forget it.

 _A gun shot ran out through the air. Stiles pulled the trigger again without a second thought. Two bodies hit the ground writhing with black veins as Stiles aimed for the next body. Claws came down on his shoulder, sending the gun flying into the air. Without screaming in pain or paying too much attention to the painful attack at all, Stiles turned on the thing that had jumped him, pulled out a machete as he did so, and took the head off in a few swings._

 _"Why are you doing this? We are living by the rules! We haven't hurt anyone in centuries! We haven't turned anyone in years! Please, have mercy…" The pleas of the old woman on her knees were cut short as Stiles pulled out his crossbow and sent two poisoned arrows into her, one in the head and the other to the heart._

 _Three more werewolves were killed before Stiles fell to his knees and let the fog leave his mind. He didn't let himself turn to face the field of dead. He didn't need to, he could smell all of the blood. The boy let a few tears fall for the poor souls he'd murdered before standing back up. "I did what you said, now will you let me go?"_

 _A laugh came before a hand laid on his shoulder. "Oh my good boy, this is only the beginning." The man turned Stiles around to face the bodies and blood. Stiles couldn't stop the bile from rising and had to pull away to heave. He couldn't believe he had done it. He couldn't believe what he had become._

 _/_ I didn't get any responses on what you guys thought of a chapter with a Scott flashback (what it was like while Stiles was missing or to find out he was missing, or something like that). I can only think of a few more chapters before this comes to an end, I hope you guys like it. Also, thank you so much for the nice reviews you guys, they make my day (especially when I've had a rough week like this past week) and keep me writing so thank you! Anywho, thanks for reading, please review, and have a wonderful day! :) /


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Heavy Heart**

Everyone had left, gone to get ready for the upcoming fight. There were discussions of fight plans and the mission but Stiles found himself drifting away from the noise of everyone's voices. Eventually he even found himself pushing up from the couch and wondering off from the living room. He wasn't sure what made him go there but before he could really think about it, Stiles was standing in the middle of the kitchen leaning on the table. His eyes were fixated on the blood stained floor.

Maybe he wanted to see the blood. Maybe he wanted to cry. Or maybe he wanted some part of his dad. Even if Stiles had kept this part of his life from his dad for a long time and was determined to be able to take care of himself, he still needed his dad. He needed his family. Who was he without his dad? He was no one's son anymore. There was no one out there who shared any DNA with him. Didn't that make him alone?

Just as he felt his knees beginning to give out there were arms grabbing him and lowering him into one of the kitchen chairs. "Hey, are you okay?" It was Scott, of course it was Scott. It's always Scott. His best friend had been the one to notice Stiles had left the room. And Scott had been the one to find Stiles standing shakily in the kitchen ready to fall. "Stiles?"

"Why'd he have to die?" Stiles' voice was so small.

Scott followed his friend's glaze to the stain on the floor. "I don't know Stiles. I wish I could have kept it from happening. I wish I could have been here."

"No!" Stiles jumped. "No if you had been here then maybe…" Stiles looked up at his friend, his alpha, his brother. "I can't lose anyone else Scott. I don't think I could take it. I can't even think about losing anyone else. I don't have a family anymore Scott, I can't afford to lose my friends."

The confession sent a pang right to Scott's heart. "I'm going to try my hardest so you never have to lose anyone ever again Stiles."

Stiles nodded as his eyes went back to the bloodstain. "I know that we have to go to the woods tonight. I know that we have to get ready. But…but I need you to take me somewhere." He couldn't take his eyes off the stain. His mind kept supplying the image of his dad's lifeless body bleeding out making the stain that's left there now. "Please Scott." He finally tore his eyes away from the floor to look at his friend.

He didn't have to ask where Stiles wanted to go, Scott knew. That's what it was like for those two being friends. They just knew each other. "Alright, let's go." Scott helped Stiles up and they went out to the blue jeep Stiles had dreamt about seeing again. Scott helped Stiles into the passenger's seat before climbing behind the wheel.

The two sat in silence, something that felt like a first for them. But it wasn't uncomfortable. Scott knew this was what Stiles needed and Stiles knew Scott was there if he needed him. So they stayed like that the whole drive to the cemetery. "We're here. Are you sure about this?" Scott turned the jeep off and turned to his friend.

After a moment of thought Stiles nodded. "I need to do this. I need to see it." With that the two boys left the jeep, Stiles leaning on Scott, and walked down the aisles of gravestones until they came to two marble stones next to each other with the name Stilinski written on them in big letters. "Mom and Dad." Stiles let go of his friend and fell to his knees in front of his parents. "I'm so sorry."

Scott placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "It wasn't your fault Stiles."

"Yes it was. Both of them…" Tears fell down his face. "I miss you so much." Stiles lifted a hand to each stone. "I don't have anyone anymore. I'm all alone."

"Hey." Scott got to his knees next to Stiles. "You still have me." He gave Stiles a small smile. "You'll always have me Stiles. I know I'm not your blood family, but you're my brother. You'll never be alone as long as I'm around."

Stiles somehow managed to smile back. "I love you Scott. I know it's weird to say that but…"

Scott laughed and put an arm around Stiles' shoulders. "I love you too Stiles." He looked at the graves. "And they love you. I'm sure they're still out there somewhere watching out for us. They were proud of you Stiles."

"I love them too." Stiles wiped his eyes. "That's why I'm not like him." Stiles smiled to himself. "I can do this Scott. I know you wanted me to hang back and be safe, but since when is that ever my style? Every time I did that it went wrong. I mean, remember when I stayed back when you went into the bank to save Boyd and Erica? The plans always work better when I'm there."

After thinking it over for a minute Scott nodded. "You're right, the whole pack should be there and you're a big part of this pack Stiles. I just want to make sure we're all safe." Scott rose from his knees as his phone went off. "They're almost ready."

Stiles shook his head, pulling himself away from the graves that raised him. "That plan isn't going to work. He'll be expecting a bunch of werewolves and you guys to run in. He'll have the place surrounded with poison. I have to go in first. I can detect and disarm the poison on my way. Then you guys can come in after me, being careful for anything I missed. Then you make yourself known. There will be no surprising him. He wants you there anyways, Scott. He wants you to betray me. He thinks that once I see you're more loyal to your beta than me, I'll see that I'm not part of that pack. And once I'm not part of the pack I have no connection. I'll become a killer like him."

Scott put a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "You are a part of this pack Stiles. You were a part of my pack long before anyone else. It was you and me long before we even knew werewolves even existed. Remember when crazy alpha Peter made a big deal about me giving up my pack? Stiles that was you, you were my pack before there was anyone else. Yes, it grew to be more. I mean, we aren't loners anymore but Stiles you're still my best friend, my brother. Liam is my beta and I feel this pull towards him, a need to protect him. But you're more than a beta. I didn't have to bite you and turn you into a supernatural creature to create a bond with you Stiles. And even if there was no supernatural you'd still be with me. That's also how I know that you aren't a killer. I know you."

With a smile Stiles shook his head. "Scott, whether you like it or not, I've killed. I'm different now. And Scott, you can't choose me. You have to choose Liam. We have to let him think he's won. When that happens he will hand Liam over to you and you will hand me over to him."

"What? No, I wouldn't do that!"

There was wisdom and understanding in his eyes as Stiles sighed. "I know you wouldn't Scott, just listen to me. I'm the only one who can kill him. He's been lacing his tea with plants considered poisonous to different supernatural beings for a long time. If one of you killed him, spilled his blood, then you'd be risking killing yourself. Plus, I know all his moves. Now that I'm not tied down or drugged I can take him. I can do this. I'll do it for the pack." He took a breath and leaned on Scott.

Scott seemed unsure. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't seem so stable right now. Once Mom hears you were out of bed today she's going to kill us both, bring us back to life, and then torture us slowly. Plus, Stiles he said your first battle ground, whatever that means. That has to mess with your mind. This guy knows how to fight a war." He hated to admit it.

With memories right on the brink of taking over Stiles nodded. "I can do this. I have to do this." He knew he would never get passed this if he didn't. He would do this for his pack. He would do this for his dad. He would do this for the person he used to be before he was taken. He would do this for the part of him he lost on that battle field…

 _Dinner, a real dinner with steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and melt-in-your-mouth rolls that would have made the sheriff immensely happy, and it all sat wonderfully in Stiles' stomach as he let the van rock him to sleep. He had had a long nights rest the night before as well. Food and sleep; he hadn't had those in a long time. But ever since he started killing he'd had so much…_

 _The van came to a stop and Stiles was pulled out, a gun being thrusted into his hand. "There are terrible creatures, causing havoc in the area. They need to be slaughtered. Finish this and you will be rewarded beyond…"_

 _"Wait, there's more than one?" Stiles wasn't use to this. He wasn't use to more than one target._

 _The older man smiled. "This is your first battle Stiles. You're taking down a whole pack. Taking down one doesn't really count as a kill. You have to kill the entire pack for it to really count. Come on Stiles, you're smarter than that." He gave Stiles a pat on the back. "You're ready for this, I know it. Your bones have healed. Your stitches are gone. I can barely see any bruises. You are like a phoenix that has risen from the ashes, left behind your old life to welcome the new." He gave Stiles' shoulders a little rub before pushing him forwards. "Go on my phoenix."_

 _Stiles gulped. He didn't know if he could do this. But then he thought back to the months of torture. He knew he wouldn't last much longer if he had to go back to that. He liked how he was treated now. So he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to be shut off. When he opened his eyes he tried to turn off all emotion. He tried to think of this as simply something he had to do to survive._

 _Before Stiles could think about it, he had snuck onto the camp of the wolves undetected. He came upon the first wolf. He was expecting a group of monsters. Older people already wolfed out. But that's not what he found. There was just a teenage boy sitting in a tree. He couldn't be any older than Stiles himself. And he was such an easy target. Stiles felt doubt, he took a step back making a twig snap which alerted the wolf to his presence._

 _"Whoa, what are you doing here?" The wolf boy jumped out of the tree and looked at Stiles warily. This was just a boy. He didn't want to kill Stiles._

 _Stiles looked around. He thought about escaping, maybe getting away before the man could punish him for his disobedience. But then he remembered the last time he had tried to refuse to kill the supernatural being that he'd been told to murder. That bastard had made Stiles watch as he gave the poor girl the most painful, agonizing, drawn-out death imaginable. It lasted a week. It was the worst week Stiles endured. He didn't want that for this kid._

 _"I'm sorry." Stiles felt a tear run down his face as he pulled out a throwing knife, sending it into the air. The werewolf managed to dodge it and attacked Stiles. Stiles did as he was trained and hit pressure points as he dodged claws. The teen fell to the ground and Stiles pulled out his machete. "I'm so sorry." He brought the weapon down several times, severing the poor boy in two._

 _Looking down into the lifeless eyes Stiles felt as if a part of himself had died with the boy. With a deep breath Stiles let that part of him go, saying a silent pray for what was lost. He wiped the tears from his face and straightened up, readying his warrior's stance. He cut his emotions off, he had to. He couldn't kill with a heavy heart. A heavy heart never survives. Guess he was learning after all._

 _The next werewolf reminded him of Derek: confident, in his prime, and too quick to jump at a predator. Then there were a few middle aged men. There was even one who looked too much like Melissa, but still Stiles didn't blink. He just kept trudging through the blood. If he let himself feel, then this would be worse than the torture he was trying to escape._

 _By the end of it he had killed three families; men, women, and children. He killed those who fought back, those who begged for mercy, those who ran, and even one who slept. But he couldn't let himself feel guilt. He couldn't feel remorse. This was survival. He needed to do this for survival. This was awful. This was pure murder. He'd have to be let free after this right? There had to be a reason for this blood on his hands._

 _After the job was done he let his mind come back. He thought maybe all of him would come back when the fog lifted but he wasn't all there. A part of himself was still gone. And he fell to his knees. Maybe it was exhaustion. But then he felt that terrible haunting presence come up behind him from the massacre. "I did what you said, now will you let me go?"_

 _A laugh came before a hand laid on his shoulder. "Oh my good boy, this is only the beginning."_

Stiles jumped awake from a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? Your heart was beating out of control." Scott looked a little worried. He had initially been happy when he saw Stiles fall asleep in the jeep as they drove away from the cemetery. He knew Stiles needed the rest. But not far into the sleep Stiles began to show signs of a nightmare.

Clearing his throat Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just…" He looked out the window, seeing they were back at his house. "Scott. He's going to tell you about the awful things I did. He's going to tell you about the families I killed."

"Stiles…"

"It's all true. I did it. I was desperate. I was selfish. But I don't want to do that ever again. I don't want to feel that way again. I don't want to lose any more parts of me." Stiles felt tears running down his cheeks and it made him laugh. "This is the most I've cried in a long time that wasn't from physical pain. It's like…it's like my heart is back."

Scott smiled at his friend. "When we were kids your mom always said you were the one with the heavy heart."

/Hey guys, thank you so much for all of the awesome reviews! They made me all warm and cuddly on the inside! And made me want to write more! So, sadly, I only have two more chapters planned for this story but I was thinking of adding one more that would be purely flashback (more of Stiles' torture and a little bit of the rest of the pack as they searched for Stiles) before the final showdown. What would you guys think of that? Let me know! Also, I have finals for my summer classes coming up so next week might be late. Then I go back to school in a couple of weeks so life is going to get crazy. I'm going to try to get ahead and finish this in the time i have between summer classes and regular school but if I fall behind please be patient, I'm just a college girl. Anywho, thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day! :)


	11. Chapter 11

So here's the flashback chapter I talked about. Fair warning, it's quite a bit longer than the other chapters. I didn't intend for it to be this long I just didn't want to leave anybody out. Also, this chapter isn't the end of the flashbacks for Stiles by the way, there will still be some of those in future chapter. But anywho, I hope you enjoy!

 **Chapter 11: Days Never Forgotten**

With the battle plans made (with a Plan B and a Plan C on the ready) everyone couldn't help but think back to the beginning of all of this. The pack had spent so many hours looking for their human it had nearly driven then insane, almost as insane as the torture had driven Stiles.

Scott

 _Scott ran into the house, ignoring the officers who had tried to stop him. His senses were overwhelmed with the blood but he couldn't really understand what he was sensing until he came upon the horror in the kitchen. His feet stopped moving at the sight of the sheriff's lifeless eyes staring up at him, as if begging him for one last request._

 _Backing out of the house Scott ran into Liam. "Scott, I smell blood. At least, I think it's blood. But I can't tell whose it is. Scott? Scott what's wrong? What happened? Where's Stiles?" The younger teen could feel his alpha's anger, worry, and most of all his grief. "Scott?" His voice came out as a whine._

 _As the alpha Scott knew he had to control his emotions, but the sheriff was dead and his best friend was missing. How could he control his emotions? "Liam, we need to get everyone together. We have to find Stiles. The sheriff he…" Scott couldn't say it. He wouldn't say it. And luckily he didn't have to, his beta just nodded before taking off. Scott turned back to the house he had considered a second home ever since he was a little kid. "Don't worry sheriff, I'll find him. I'll bring him back just like I always do. I'll keep him safe." Scott made his promise, honoring the sheriff's last request._

 _Stiles_

 _A small noise, like metal clacking with metal, woke Stiles from his pained sleep. He looked around, groaning as he realized he hadn't dreamt it all. "Have you had enough time to think about it Stiles? Do you understand what I'm trying to do, that I'm trying to help?" The voice behind him grabbed a hold of his hair. "Your friends will get you killed if you don't kill them first."_

 _"I'm not a killer, neither are my friends." And with those words the torture started. Every time Stiles tried to defend his friends he was met with a slice of a blade or a blow of a harsh fist covered with metal. Once he even tried to tell the man about the horrors committed by hunters and that brought a whole new form of torture, a new rage from the man. "Please, please stop."_

 _The man pulled out a stun gun. "How many volts do you think you can handle Stiles? Do you think you can handle as much as a werewolf? Because one of these days you might be caught in the crossfire and have to take a hit for one of your so called friends." He let the electricity come to life before Stiles' eyes. "They're super healing won't save you Stiles. It won't make you better. And I'm sure that if you die, they won't shed a tear. They won't howl in anguish like they would for one of their own." The man brought the stun gun closer to Stiles' skin. "You aren't one of them Stiles, they don't care about you. I bet they aren't even looking for you. I bet they aren't using their superpowers to find you." With those harsh words he brought the high voltage down on Stiles' shoulder and everything went black again._

 _Derek_

 _The slightly older wolf had been working on finding the Desert Wolf with the bounty hunter when he sensed several teenagers coming towards his loft. He quickly put his work away and hung up the phone before throwing his door open to a worry-riddled pack. He could feel the anxiety a mile away. "What happened? Wait, where's Stiles?" Derek noticed the hyper-active lanky one was missing. "Scott, why do you smell like the sheriff's blood?" He turned to the alpha wanting answers._

 _The young alpha shook his head, obviously fighting off tears. "Sheriff Stilinski is dead and Stiles is missing. We have to find him Derek. I have to keep him safe."_

 _Derek laid a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll be okay. It's Stiles."_

 _Malia took a step forward, able to think past the emotions of the situation. "What are we going to do? I can't find a scent."_

 _Cracking his neck Derek smiled. "Why don't you let me try?" His senses had been enhanced since he had evolved. When he was in full wolf form he could pick up on the slightest scent, better than the average werewolf._

 _"Alright, I'll go with Derek and try to pick up on a scent. Lydia, go find Parrish and see what the police have. Maybe they have a lead we don't know about." Normally they would already know everything the police know, but Stiles wasn't there to share with them what he'd over heard on the police radio. "Malia, Liam, and Kira, I want you guys to see if you can figure out who would do this and once the police are done at the house see if you can sneak back in and get any clues there." Scott made the command and everyone followed without argument. There was no time for arguing. They had to find Stiles._

 _Smelling the house was hard. The smell of fear and blood seemed to drown everything else out. "There's a distinct smell of gunpowder and something but it's under something else, like a herb. I think they tried to cover their scent but I've got it." Derek took another whiff. "Stiles' scent is off, that's probably why Malia couldn't smell him. I think they drugged him." Derek finally opened his eyes to see Scott not looking at him but at the blood puddle on the floor. "Hey, it's going to be okay."_

 _"This is my fault. I should have stopped this. What kind of alpha am I?" Scott shook his head, unable to look away from the blood._

 _Derek grabbed Scott by the chin, forcing the teen to look at him instead of the blood. "You're a great alpha Scott. You're better than I ever was. People attack people like us. There isn't much you can do about that. Stiles and his father knew what they got themselves into but they believed in you. Don't let that belief and trust go to waste now. Your guilt isn't going to find them."_

 _After a second Scott nodded and wiped away his tears. "I know, okay, I know." He took a deep breath and took a step away from Derek. "What direction did they go?"_

 _The two wolves made it outside, trying to avoid the suspicious looks from cops. "That's the tricky part. Their vehicle smells funny. It's like they laced their tires in something…but I think they left town." Derek got into his SUV. "Come on, I've got the scent. If we can get out of town and away from people I can shift and it will be easier." With that the two took off, the only thought in their minds was finding and saving Stiles. Derek couldn't believe how much he'd come care for the annoying teen._

 _The thought of losing the last Stilinski broke the heart of both the wolves, driving them to find the boy even more. But after finding a burnt van the scent went cold…even for the evolved werewolf._

 _Stiles_

 _He hated coming to. He swore to himself when he heard a terrible humming. "Are you going to sing me a lullaby?" Stiles hated the gravelly sound of his own voice._

 _There was an awful laugh in response. "No Stiles, I'm going to prove to you that you aren't one of them. Let's see what happens when you are injected with this." The man came forward with a syringe. "Do you know what this is Stiles?"_

 _Even though his vision was blurry Stiles could immediately identify the liquid being held before him. "Wolfsbane is poisonous to humans too you idiot."_

 _The man only laughed. "Yes I'm aware, but it won't kill you. It will only make you feel pretty awful. But I promise I won't let it kill you Stiles. Unlike your friends, I can save you." Without another word or any hesitation he plunged the needle deep into the vein in Stiles' arm. "I want you to think about the monsters you call friends while you're feeling this. And once you start to see how great life would be when you fight for my side, you'll start to feel better. I promise." Again the blackness took over with the feeling of nausea and all together crappiness._

 _Lydia_

 _Why did he have to go and get himself taken? Hadn't they lost enough? Lydia held onto that anger. It was that anger that would get her through this, keep her focused while everyone else would drown in grief and worry. No she had to keep making her annoyed and sassy comments, just like Stiles would have been making his sarcastic comments had he been there. "He couldn't have left us some clue?" Lydia looked at the evidence Parrish laid out before her._

 _"I don't think he had time. It looks like there was a bit of a struggle but a neighbor said they saw him carried away and he seemed to be asleep. I bet they drugged him right after shooting…" He couldn't say it. He couldn't admit that his mentor, his boss was dead. No, he was going to keep working and ignore the empty office taunting him. "But, we were able to track the gun used to shoot him. Also, that license plate number that Scott sent you, it had a hit. I think we know who took Stiles. Look." He pointed to his computer to the mugshots of two men. "These guys have records for owning illegal firearms and assault. They have also been flagged with this group." He pulled up other mugshots. "The police have a theory that they're some kind of gang or something. But I think…"_

 _Lydia finished the thought for him. "They're a group of hunters." She looked at the nasty bunch. "Alright, we have them, now what?"_

 _"Now we try to find them and we go in smart." He eyed the young strawberry blonde. "We can't just go in guns hot. We have to be smart about this or it could get Stiles killed."_

 _The young girl, much too old for her age, just smiled. "Just tell us where they are at and we will take care of the rest Parrish."_

 _Stiles_

 _No begging, he would not beg. Stiles had to keep reminding himself that he would not give into this madman as he laid in his own vomit feeling terrible. He just wanted this to be over. "Scott, Malia, Derek, Lydia, Liam…Dad…" He called out as much as his weak body would allow. "Please…"_

 _Malia_

 _Nothing. There was nothing. No Stiles. He was gone. He was just gone. Malia was trying her best to keep the emotions as bay. She wasn't good with emotions. He didn't like them. She didn't understand them. But she was working on it. Stiles was working on it. He was always telling her she was a work in progress. She might leave some people for dead, but she would never leave Stiles. And Stiles said that he would never leave her. But he was gone. He left her. And it hurt._

 _Malia growled in frustration. "Where is he?" She didn't like him being gone. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if she would be a part of this pack without Stiles. He was her connection to everyone. While everyone doubted her or considered her too untrusted, un-human, Stiles believed in her and helped her become a part of this pack. But what would happen if they didn't find him?_

 _A hand rested on Malia's shoulder, hoping to relax her but also a little afraid it would be bitten off. "It's okay Malia, we'll find him. We just have to figure out why someone would take Stiles." Kira kept her voice calm. She had to remain calm, even if she was freaking out on the inside._

 _"Why would they take Stiles?" Liam was pacing. "I mean, if they are hunters why would they take the one non-supernatural being of the pack? Shouldn't they have left Stiles alone? This doesn't make sense. I know I'm new at all of this but…"_

 _"No you're right." Scott's voice made them all jump. "They only reason hunters would take Stiles is to use him as bait or…" Scott hated to think about it. "Or to send a message, they've tried to do that before. Gerard beat the crap out of Stiles once to send some message to me. I wouldn't put it past some other hunter to do the same thing. And if that's the case we should hear from them. Hopefully, before they do anything too bad to Stiles."_

 _Derek stood behind Scott. "But if that doesn't work, we know where the bastards who took him are at." He almost smiled. It made Malia want to smile, she remembered how Stiles said how rare Derek's smile was. She was sure Stiles would say something right now about it._

 _Malia rocked on her feet. "Alright, let's go get him."_

 _Before the coyote could go anywhere Scott held his hand up. "I talked to Parrish. He had a good point. We can't just go in there guns blazing. We sniff the place out. If we smell Stiles we call the cops and just act as back up. There's a better chance of Stiles living if we don't attack them."_

 _"What? Why don't we just…" Malia wanted to argue. She wanted to run to Stiles and bring him back. She wanted things to go back to how they were. She didn't like the pack not being whole._

 _"We have to be smart about this. We can't go in there like animals." Derek gave the girl a stern look. "If we just run in there claws out they could kill Stiles or he could get killed in the crossfire. Do you really want to risk his life like that?" He was right, and she knew it. So she backed down and looked at Scott, ready to hear Stiles' rescue plan._

 _Stiles_

 _"How are you feeling?" The man put a bottle of water next to Stiles' mouth, allowing a small amount of relief._

 _Relishing in the water, Stiles tried to suppress the urge to throw it back up. His head was pounding and his body ached. "Awful thanks to you."_

 _"Well, whenever you want to change that opinion let me know and you will feel better in no time." The man poured the water onto the floor just two feet in front of Stiles before dropping the empty bottle and walking away leaving Stiles in his sickness._

 _Kira_

 _The fox had yet to really find her place in the pack yet. She didn't want to just be Scott's girlfriend, although she loved being Scott's girlfriend even if their relationship kept getting interrupted by the supernatural crap. She wanted to support everyone. She wanted to be there for them after everything they had been through. But she also had to ask the tough questions sometimes._

 _Regretfully, Kira cleared her throat. "That's great you guys. But what do we do if you don't smell Stiles?" As she saw the slightly angered looks from the werewolves, she knew they hadn't considered her question. But she knew they needed to be prepared for this. "I mean, um…" She wanted to find Stiles too. She had come to really like the kid. He was Scott's best friend after all. But she also didn't want to lose anyone else in the pack. She knew Stiles wouldn't want that, not after Allison…_

 _After a moment of silence Scott finally spoke up. "Then we question them."_

 _Before Kira could ask what that meant Derek spoke up. "And then we call the cops to deal with the aftermath. Or I'll get rid of the bodies." His eyes flashed blue for a quick second. "They better hope they still have Stiles there for their own good. He's the only thing keeping us gentle."_

 _Stiles_

 _"I'm a Stilinski! We don't break easily!" Stiles yelled at no one as he closed his eyes, trying to avoid the hallucinations that had started an hour ago. "I don't break easily…" This time he said it to himself, afraid he would break before his friends could find him._

 _A familiar voice rang through his head. "What are you doing Stiles?" It was his dad…no it couldn't be his dad. His dad was dead._

 _Liam_

 _Being a part of this pack had been a struggle in the beginning. But Liam had found that he really needed the pack. And he needed everyone in it. That included Stiles. Even if the two bickered back and forth at each other or their friendship wasn't an easy one to start. Stiles had become that big brother that offered tough love and sarcasm. Liam knew that Stiles was there for him. He knew that Stiles had his back, just like he had Scott's. Missing that, missing Stiles, made Liam want to whine, howl in agony._

 _When they went to the house that held the degenerate hunters that took Stiles and shot his dad, it felt like an arrow to his chest when they didn't smell Stiles anywhere. It was even more heartbreaking when they realized Stiles had never been there. Stiles scent had never touched those walls. They hadn't found him. But at least they found these jerks._

 _After almost a year of being a werewolf, Liam had seen a lot of things. He had learned a lot of things. But watching Derek pull information from the group of hunters was one of the hardest things he ever did. It wasn't that he felt bad for them, they hurt Stiles. It was the screams. He heard the begging, he heard the torture, and he couldn't help but wonder if Stiles was going through the exact same thing at that very moment miles away from them. And how much longer could Stiles last over these hunters?_

 _He'd never considered himself much of a hero, nowhere close to the hero type, but Liam would do anything to bring Stiles back safe. Maybe Scott was rubbing off of him…_

 _Stiles_

 _"What are you doing Stiles?" The voice just wouldn't go away._

 _There was only one way to get the voice to go away. "Werewolves really are just like superheroes you know!" Stiles yelled. If he could only goat the doctor into torture then he would blackout and he could end the hallucination. "They can take away pain and…"_

 _"That's not going to work Stiles. Just give the man what he wants." His dad begged. "Just say you'll think about it and he will make you better. You don't have to be sick." The hallucination was so real Stiles could almost feel his dad running a hand through his hair trying to comfort him like he did when he was sick as a child._

 _Stiles let the tears fall. "I'm so sorry dad."_

 _Parrish_

 _By the time Parrish got to the house the hunters were barely standing. They'd all taken a beating, half of them had claw marks. "What happened to them?" He turned to Scott and Derek who stood off close to the woods, away from the rest of the officers._

 _The older wolf shrugged his shoulders. "They fell." His face was dead serious and cold._

 _"Yeah, they must have just slipped right down the stairs passed your claws." Parrish shook his head. "Did you at least find something, anything?" He wanted to find the boy just as much. He felt as if he owed it to Stilinski. Not only that, but Stiles had always been open to Parrish. He had welcomed him into their little rag-tag group of supernatural beings._

 _Scott shook his head. "They said they were hired by another hunter, some man from out of state. He didn't have a name, paid in cash, and didn't talk much. He was all business according to these guys. We're right back at square one." The teen looked completely defeated. "We have no clue, no leads, on where Stiles is at. Not even Derek could pick up a scent on this guy. It's like he's a ghost. No one knows who he is and…and he's got Stiles." Scott ran a hand through his hair._

 _Parrish couldn't help but feel his heart break. They were all just kids, they shouldn't have to go through all of this. "Don't worry Scott. We're going to figure this out. The police force is working night and day to find him. Between us and you guys, we'll have Stiles back in no time." At the time, he believed what he was saying. But they all could hear the blip in his heart._

 _Stiles_

 _Nothing was going to make it better. That's how it was starting to feel until there was a slight prick and everything became peaceful. When he started to come out of the peaceful sleep there was something playing in the background, a video of some kind, and there was another prick. Stiles couldn't help but jump. "Shhh, it's okay Stiles. Just relax."_

 _"What…" Stiles didn't, couldn't finish his sentence. His ears tuned into the video playing in the background. There was a man talking about how to kill werewolves. Then it changed to a crying woman talking about her dead family. Finally he could swear he heard his own pack talking about how they didn't care about Stiles, how he wasn't really pack. Then there was that man again explaining the perfect way to take down any werewolf. But that was all he could pick up before there was another prick and he was falling back into a peaceful sleep, dreaming about what the man had explained: how to kill his friends._

 _Melissa_

 _Days turned into a week and she couldn't put it off any longer. Melissa went to claim the body. It was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. Growing up Melissa had had plenty of close friends. But between a rough marriage and her line of work she had lost so many friendships. The sheriff had been there though. When Scott became friends with Stiles and she met the Stilinskis it had seemed like a miracle. She had found friends again. After all they had been through, Claudia's death and everything with the boys, no one seemed to understand Melissa better than the sheriff._

 _Seeing the man lying on the cold slab seemed so surreal. She was a nurse, she should be used to this. But she wasn't. She had to run to the bathroom to empty her stomach. And for a quick second she was glad Stiles was still missing. This way he didn't have to do this. The poor boy didn't have to see his dad like this. He didn't have to plan another funeral. But the thought was quickly pushed away because she missed the boy dearly and she knew he would hate to miss his dad's funeral._

 _The next two days were spent planning the funeral. Melissa kept trying to drag it out, hoping Scott would walk through the door with Stiles in his arms but it never happened and they had run out of time._

 _She kept the tears from falling as several police officers said their goodbyes. She kept the tears from falling as the group, her son included, carried the casket to its final resting place by Claudia. She kept the tears from falling as her own son gave a choked speech about the man he had considered a father. She kept the tears from falling as she stepped forward herself to recite Stilinski's favorite poem, the same poem he had read at his wife's funeral. And she kept the tears from falling as they lowered the casket and sent his soul off with a 21 gun salute. Melissa held her tears through it all._

 _But as everyone walked away Melissa found herself staring at the new grave as the cemetery workers did their job. She pulled out the picture she had put with Stilinski's obituary. It was the last good picture they had of the full Stilinski family. Her eyes ran over her two dead friends, her heart aching so much she wondered for the first time if she could die from a broken heart. But then she saw the smiling boy looking back at her. The boy, who at the time the picture was taken didn't know he would lost both his parents so young._

 _And falling to her knees, Melissa cried. "I'll bring him home, I promise. I'll take care of him. I'll take care of him as if he were my own." She promised the headstones, her two best friends._

 _Stiles_

 _When he came to the next time, Stiles was feeling much better. There were pills and a bottle of water lying next to him. He was now on a cot instead of being strapped to a chair. "You're awake." The doctor walked forward, picking up the pills and holding them up to Stiles' mouth. "Take them, they'll make you feel better." He looked down at Stiles with a sickly sweet smile._

 _Another video was playing in the background but this time Stiles could see the graphic images of torture and murder of werewolves. "What is that?"_

 _"Be grateful Stiles and maybe try to learn something." The man held the bottle of water up to Stiles' lips before turning back around. "Eat, build up your strength." He held up food to Stiles mouth as the video in the background started to grow louder, echoing in Stiles' ears. Everyone wonderful taste was tainted by the blood being splatter on the screen._

 _Scott_

 _Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned into a year, and hope was beginning to fade. Missing posters were falling, forgotten by most of the town. The news no longer ran his picture after the nightly report. But the last straw was the school trying to empty his locker. Scott saw a janitor with a trash can by Stiles' locker and he saw red. "What are you doing?!" He grabbed the binder out of the man's hands._

 _Before the poor man doing his job could see Scott's red eyes Liam grabbed ahold of Scott's arm. "Hey, man, calm down." His own eyes flashed, causing Scott to come back to his senses. Liam turned to the janitor. "We'll take care of it." And with that the man left them alone. "Scott, hey, it's okay. We haven't given up on him. We're going to find him." Liam's heart remained steady as he said it. He was the only one left who didn't lie when they reassured Scott. "It's Stiles. He's probably annoying them as we speak. I'm surprised they haven't given him back already just because…"_

 _Scott smiled and put a hand on Liam's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm okay. Thanks Liam." He looked at the locker and started shoving items into his own bag. "Hey, do you want to come to the police station with me today?" Scott had yet to give up with his routine check-ups at the police station. He had to make sure they hadn't given up on his friend. He'd even quit lacrosse so he could spend more time searching for Stiles and keeping the case going._

 _"I wish I could. My dad wants me home right after school. I'm still in trouble after last weekend." The beta's response made Scott frown. Scott knew it was his fault. He had kept Liam out the whole weekend, even after the boy's cell phone had died and he'd missed several calls from his parents, in a search for Stiles that ended with nothing, not even the hint of a clue._

 _Scott nodded. "It's been over a year man." For some reason he just felt like he needed to say it. "That feeling of running out of time…"_

 _"I know Scott, I know. It's going to be okay though." Liam gave his alpha a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "We always figure it out, remember? It's going to work out. Don't give up just yet." And again his heart remained steady._

 _With a thankful smile Scott returned the pat on the shoulder and left. He was on his way to the station when he saw Lydia wandering around. He pulled over. "Lydia? Hey, are you okay?"_

 _The strawberry blonde looked at Scott with tear-stained cheeks. "Stiles…it's Stiles…"_

 _Stiles_

 _Nothing was right. It had been so long. Maybe he was right. Maybe no one was looking for him after all. Maybe he really was going to die here. But he couldn't go back to killing, so Stiles would endure the pain. He would take the torture even if he was at the brink of death. His mind was playing permanent tricks on him. He couldn't even sleep without some kind of torture. This was going to be the end._

 _But one day the doctor came into the dark room looking almost defeated. "I don't know how much more of this your body can take Stiles. Something is going to have to change." He sighed putting a heavy hand on Stiles' weak shoulder. "There is one lesson I didn't want to teach you, at least not this way, but I'm afraid that this is the only way. I wanted to keep you from this pain." If Stiles had been strong enough he would have laughed and made a sarcastic comment at that. The fact that he didn't let his captor know he really was broken. "Remember all I've taught you Stiles." He whispered in Stiles' ear before a needle was buried deep into his skin and everything was black._

 _When the blackness faded Stiles was back in Beacon Hills. He knew where he was but he didn't understand why or what the point of this was. It had to be a trick, but he couldn't figure this trick out. Stiles could always figure the trick out. Now, now he was just lost. Not knowing where to go, Stiles just let his feet lead him. The only thing he could think was that this was another needle induced dream. He just needed to find his dad. So he started towards the station, hoping to be found before he had to kill anyone._

Now

Stiles looked out the window, trying to ignore the terrible thoughts running through his head, all the doubt. "Stiles?" The voice pulled him away from his own mind, causing him to look over at his friends standing around the room waiting for him. "Are you ready for this?"

Nodding slowly Stiles stood up. "Guys, no matter what happens tonight, no matter what's said, I want you to know that I know you were looking for me. I know I'm part of this pack." He gave a sad smile, his mind immediately thinking of all the ways tonight could go wrong even with all of the backup plans and safe guards put into place. "I'm not scared anymore."

Everyone just stood there for a minute, taking in what Stiles was saying but not sure how to respond. Everyone wanted to say something but there weren't any words that seemed to do justice to the feeling in the room. There weren't any words that could explain how they felt when Stiles was gone. There weren't any words to explain how they felt when they got him back. So they just nodded, everyone understanding somehow. And they left to fight together.

/I know it's a bit late but I had summer classes to finish and finals to take. Next week I go back to school so things might get a little hectic but I'm hoping to finish this story (maybe only two more chapters left) before all of that starts so it won't be effected but if the updates are late just hang in there with me. But yeah, thanks for reading, please review, and have a fantastic day!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Final Lesson**

 _Hope was vanishing. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he had picked the wrong boy. After years of research and looking, James couldn't be wrong. Stiles was the right one, he had to be. With a heavy sigh James continued to drill into the bone, the teen no longer screaming but still awake, tears still streaming down his face._

 _"Please…" The word was different. Stiles' words were usually filled with venom, some kind or hatred or sarcasm. But this word was different. This word was tired and begging. This word gave James hope. "Please just stop." As much as the begging pleased James, he couldn't stop. He was waiting for something else so he kept drilling into bone. "I'll do it, okay, I'll do it." The voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough. James stopped his drill with a smile. "Thank you."_

 _The older man stood up to reach for his supplies to begin cleaning and patching up his new apprentice. "No, thank you Stiles, I hate having to hurt you. I never want to hurt you again. You see, you aren't just some random kid. You know that, don't you? You were chosen. I chose you." He smiled and held up some clean, non-poisoned or tainted water. "Build your strength and then your real training will begin." James gently laid Stiles down on the cot._

 _Before James could leave the cot Stiles grabbed onto his pant leg. "What do you mean I was chosen?" But he received no response, the older man just smiled before walking away._

The woods seemed as though they hadn't changed at all. It unnerved Stiles a little. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want his friends to be here. What if it just became another blood bath? But he had to do this. They had to get Liam. So he made his way through the woods alone disarming every trap he came upon. As he walked, Stiles' mind started to wonder. A small, very small, part of him had felt almost bad for the man he was about to fight. A small part of him might even mourn his loss…

 _When Stiles came to, after one of his few nights spent peacefully, he saw the man who'd been torturing him sitting by his cot with a warm, wet cloth and some medicine. "I need to clean your wounds again. Then you can eat and take something for the pain." His voice was softer than it had ever been; it was almost as if there was guilt hidden beneath it._

 _"Why are you being so nice?"_

 _The man smiled as he began his work. "You accepted me, you accepted your work. That was a big step for us. Soon you will be almost like a son to me, just as I was to my mentor. It was a relationship I cherished, especially after my own father passed." His eyes went dark. "He was torn apart by vicious wolves, but that's what they do Stiles. They kill without any thought of the consequences. They don't realize that the people they kill have families."_

 _Stiles had just stopped the torture, he knew saying this could start it all over again, but his mouth began to move before he could stop it. "Werewolves have families too. What about the families of the wolves you kill? If anyone ever killed Scott, his mother…" Stiles stopped himself, afraid he might mention how upset he would be if Scott or any of his friends were killed._

 _"They're better off with the grief. They're lives are in danger. Melissa could be taken or used as bait any day. She could be caught in the crossfire, collateral damage of her son's life. No, for people like her it's healthier for them to grieve than to live a life like that." He continued his work gently, no anger showing through. He wasn't acting like a crazy psychologist hunter right now. Now he was willing to talk and Stiles knew how to talk._

 _Moving to allow better access to a particularly bad wound on his leg, Stiles ventured on. "Okay, then what about me? Why bring me into the life more? How am I any different than Melissa? She's a human who knows about werewolves just like me." Stiles wanted to know why he was chosen._

 _With a sigh the hunter paused in his work to look up at Stiles. "You're different. You see, I come from a long line of men who have a very specific job. We pick the next best hunter. Not someone like the Argents who are known and feared by all but a ghost who leaves only whispers; someone who kills without leaving anyone to talk about them because they're smart. We create a whole new kind of hunter: someone who uses science with the supernatural, who can invent they're own skills, who can make a weapon out of nothing, who can take any physical blow the enemy could every possibly throw at them, and someone who understands them."_

 _"So you chose me to be a super hunter because I understand werewolves?"_

 _The man laughed. "Not exactly, but yes in some way, you have spent so much time with so many different monsters you know how they think and act. You have an insight not many hunters could ever train for. But it's not only that. There's the obvious: you're smart, you know how to do research, you can think on your toes, and you always have a plan with a back-up. But what really drew me to you were your choices. First, even after seeing your best friend become the lacrosse star that got the girl you refused the bite. Not many teenage boys would have done that." He began to wrap the wound he had turned away from. "Then there was the whole Nogitsune issue. You dealt with it as a true hunter should. I went to a Seer about you; she heard what you told your friends. You didn't care about yourself. You didn't care if killing the demon killed you. You just wanted it dead before it could take any more innocent lives. You put the mission before your own life. You put the innocent before your own life. And that is a trait hard to come by." He looked back up at Stiles. "You never wanted to be the monster. You wanted Scott to kill you, I know that. You understand the monsters, you're close to them even and yet you still would never want to be them. Why do you think that is Stiles?"_

 _Stiles tried to swallow but his mouth was dry. He didn't know how to respond. He couldn't answer the question. So he just shrugged. "I don't know."_

 _"It's because this was your destiny."_

 _After that the two were silent as the man nursed Stiles back to health._

The clearing was only five feet away and Stiles stood between the trees frozen. How could he do this? What if being a hunter really was his destiny? No, no he had his friends. His friends were his family now. He had to help them. He had to help himself. As much as this was about saving Liam, it was about saving Stiles. So with a deep breath, Stiles walked out into the clearing.

Seeing Liam in a circle of mountain ash wasn't surprising, but seeing him unharmed and completely conscious was a little surprising. "Stiles!" The younger teen jumped up with excitement and a big smile on his face. "Stiles, he's…"

"I know." Stiles turned at an angle to see the man in a tree. "I know all your tricks. You won't be able to trick me. I disarmed all your little toys in the woods. My friends will be here soon. We aren't stupid. And contrary to what you once tried to teach me, working together is better than working alone. And I like my team, no matter what you tried to do to make me hate them."

As soon as the others entered the clearing there was a snap and mountain ash came down as the doctor hunter jumped down from his tree leaving the hunter and Liam in a circle of mountain ash away from the rest of everyone. "You're going to watch while I torture him like I torture Stiles. I'm sure Stiles has been hesitant to share about our time together but I'm willing to clear that all up for you Scott." The man smiled at the young alpha. "I will show you how he got every scar. And then I'll show you how he killed his first werewolf." The man pulled a blade up to Liam's jaw as he pulled on the boy's hair. "Unless you want to give away your human."

Scott looked over at Stiles nervously, he didn't like this plan. "I…" He doubted it, everyone could tell. "Why are you doing this?" Scott took a hesitant step forward only to stop when the man pulled the knife closer to Liam's skin, drawing blood. "Just wait, okay?"

"I'm done waiting. I want Stiles and if I can't have him then I'm just going to have to kill all of you myself before turning on him." His eyes went over to Stiles who was clenching his fists.

Just as the man was beginning to dig the knife into the Liam, Scott stopped him. "Stop! Okay, okay I agree! You can have Stiles, just stop hurting him!" Scott winced at the thought of the poison laced blade cutting through skin. "He's my beta, I can't lose him."

With that the man laughed. "Toss him over the ash and I'll give you your beta." With a little hesitance Scott obeyed, grabbing Stiles by the shoulders and tossing him over the line of mountain ash. "What did I tell you Stiles? They only look out for their own." Instead of dropping the knife he began to pull it across Liam's throat to kill him.

"Wait." Stiles spoke up but his voice wasn't loud or urgent like the calls from the rest of the pack. And it was Stiles' voice that made the man stop. "Don't, let me do it. Let Scott see the consequences of his betrayal. Let me kill his beta." There was a coolness in his voice that sent shivers up everyone's spine. "I want to kill him. You were right."

Slowly, the man began to hand over the knife but then stopped as he started to laugh. "Did you really think I was that stupid? I would never think it was going to be that easy!" He threw his knife at Stiles, hitting the vein in his leg and sending him to the ground while pulling out a gun to aim at Liam. At the same time, as if on a trigger, metal traps laced in poison went off capturing everyone by the leg but Scott. "I want you to decide Scott. You can take Stiles now and get him to a hospital, let him live. Or you can let Stiles bleed out and save Liam. The choice is yours."

Scott looked at Stiles on the ground, trying to secure the knife which seemed to be the only thing keeping him from bleeding out that second. "Take Liam Scott. I'll be okay." Stiles tried to stay calm and collected but he was shaking and his voice was showing it. His skin was paling and sweat was covering his forehead and upper lip. "Please Scott, just please…" He didn't have a lot of energy left for this. He needed to save his energy for the rest of the plan. "The rest of the pack is still here. Trust us."

Knowing he could trust his pack and he could especially trust his best friend, Scott nodded. "Okay, okay, give me Liam."

A loud bang went off and Liam screamed out in agony before the man kicked him out mountain ash circle. "Take your sick dog, he has two hours before my special wolfsbane hits his heart and kills him in the most painful way imaginable. And I'd hurry if I were you because cleansing his body of that poison is going to take quite a while. I hope you have enough time or you might end up losing them both and maybe even your whole pack." With that Scott grabbed his beta and ran off. "They will always choose their own kind over you Stiles. If you don't bleed them, they will leave you to bleed." He reached down to grab the knife keeping Stiles alive but also killing him.

Stiles put his hands over the knife. "Don't, if you pull it out I'll die."

"That's the point."

Hoping to give the rest of the pack enough time to escape their metal traps (Derek was almost there) Stiles shook his head. "But if the point was just to kill me then why let me go? Don't you want me to be your apprentice?"

His eyes softening a bit, the man tightened his grip on the knife but didn't let go. "You had time. I hoped that after seeing the pack after our time together you would see that they weren't really family. I hoped you would see the blood, the attacks, and not the friends you deluded yourself into having. You aren't a werewolf or a supernatural being of any kind. You can't be a part of their pack. You're just a human shield. I thought maybe you were smart enough to use your gifts and to realize your destiny, but I was wrong. Now I'm going to slaughter your friends while you know that the only reason I was able to get to them was because of you. Whether you wanted to or not, you got your friends killed. So, really, I accomplished my goal." He smiled something terrible before pulling the knife out, sending a splatter of blood over himself and Stiles…just as Stiles wanted.

"You're so predictable." Stiles whispered, letting out a weak laugh before falling over limp and letting the dark spots in his vision start to take over. But just before he lost it, Stiles was able to reach the line of mountain ash to break it, allowing the now free Derek to charge into the circle as all of the others began to break their traps as well.

 _The pain was unbearable. The blowtorch was so hot it almost felt cold, confusing all of Stiles' senses. He just wanted it to end. "You can't give up." A deep voice made Stiles look up over his captor's shoulder. "You have to make it back to us Stiles. Don't be weak." It was hard to believe, but Stiles was seeing Derek across the room. Why was he seeing Derek?_

 _"Yeah don't be a pussy." And that was Jackson? When was the last time Stiles even saw Jackson?_

 _Red hair flew passed his line of vision. "You're smarter than this guy Stiles. You can get into his head just as easily has he can get into yours. Use that brilliant brain of yours. You're not second in our class for nothing." Lydia winked from across the room._

 _A giggle came from the corner, making Stiles notice Erica and Boyd standing close to Isaac. But how could they, they were dead. "Yeah, come on Batman, figure something out." Erica gave a wink more seductive than Lydia's._

 _"You can take this guy, I'm sure of it." Isaac, freaking Isaac, was there now leaning against the wall like they were by the lockers at school. "At least long enough for the rest of us to get here."_

 _"Nah, he's going to die." Aiden popped up by the door, looking smug and alive instead of dead._

 _Ethan shook his head at his brother. "Be nice Aiden, the kid has been tortured for a year. He could have been killing people like us instead of taking this. We're supposed to be encouraging hallucinations, anyways." He only got a shrug from his twin._

 _"Maybe this hallucination means something like the ones you had with the Nogitsune?" Kira appeared with her sword. "It will be okay, I'm sure." She gave a sweet smile._

 _A snort came from another corner of the room to reveal Malia. "How is any of this okay? We need to fight! We need to attack the jerk back! Why are we all just standing around saying things? Why aren't we doing anything? We should be doing something!" He growled, her eyes turning blue._

 _"I'm okay." Stiles let it slip, making the torture worse for himself._

 _A lacrosse ball flew passed his ear. "Sorry, hey, when you get out, we should play. Maybe I can teach you to be a good player in return for you helping me learn control. You are getting out soon, right?" Liam seemed so innocent and hopeful. It made Stiles smile._

 _Hands grabbed Stiles' shoulders. "You're going to be okay Stiles." Scott smiled a hope-filled smile, full of optimism and sunshine as always. "Even if we don't find you, but we are looking, you are going to be okay. You just have to believe. Remember when Dr. Deaton had you spread the mountain ash around the club? You were the only one who could do it. And it wasn't only because you weren't supernatural. It's because you're the only one would could believe strong enough. So keep believing."_

 _A hand laid on top of Scott's hand on Stiles' shoulder. "You can do it Stiles." The voice made him jump. It was Allison. "I wasn't only human but a hunter and was a part of this pack so why is it so crazy that you could be a part of it? And every part is important. Every part is needed. They need you Stiles, just as much as you need them. Why do you think you're seeing all of them now? Pack survives everything. Don't believe him, believe us." She smiled._

 _"Are you paying attention?!" The booming voice of the man with the blowtorch drew Stiles away from his hallucinations._

 _Stiles just smiled. "I'm going to believe my pack instead of you." And the torture continued but when it got too bad Stiles only had to look up into the comforting faces of his pack to know it was going to be okay one day._

/I'm sooooo sorry for the long wait! Life has been crazy busy! I haven't had much free time since coming back to school. I somehow got stuck with all of the night shifts the first week back but hopefully that will die down. And only one more chapter you guys! I have it like half-ish done so hopefully it won't be too long! As always thank you for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Family**

 _Sun shining on his face woke Stiles up. Realizing he was in his bed he couldn't help the smile that came onto his face but then he heard a knock on his door, "Come on kid, you gotta get up! You're going to be late for school!" Hearing his dad's voice, Stiles jumped up in bed._

 _Not bothering to change out of his pajamas Stiles ran down the stairs, following the heavy footsteps into the kitchen where his dad had begun to make coffee. "Dad?" Stiles let his voice crack, not afraid to show tears. He missed his dad too much to hold back. "Dad is it really you? How can it be? You're dead." He took a cautious step forward._

 _The sheriff turned around, a confused and slightly concerned look on his face. "What are you talking about Stiles? Is this some ploy to keep you from having to go to school? Because you're going."_

 _Without another thought Stiles ran across the room and wrapped his arms around his dad. "This is a dream, isn't it?" He mumbled into his dad's shoulder but got no response. "You know I love you, right dad?" He didn't want to let go._

 _His dad rubbed his back a little. "I know, I love you too kid." He nudged Stiles a little to make the kid let go and gave a half smile. "You better get going, your family is waiting for you."_

 _The front door was wide open, a light shining in, and Stiles looked down to see he was wearing the clothes he had on before entering the clearing. He started to head towards the door but stopped to turn back to his dad, catching his dad's words. "Wait, don't you mean my friends are waiting for me? You and mom are both dead now. I'm the last Stilinski."_

 _The older man smiled before taking a sip of his coffee. "That doesn't mean you don't have a family. They've always been your family Stiles; you just didn't realize it until you thought you didn't have one. Family doesn't have to be blood, it can be pack."_

 _Smiling, Stiles walked out the door._

An annoying beeping was waking Stiles. It all seemed so familiar. But then the memory of the clearing came running through his mind and he sat up, or tried to sit up before hands were holding him down. "Where is he? We need to…" Stiles started to ramble without fully opening his eyes.

"Hey, Stiles, calm down." Two of the warm hands must have belonged to Scott. "It's okay, your plan worked. You were right. It was all pretty genius really." Scott smiled as Stiles sank back into the pillows and really opened his eyes for the first time. "The stuff you injected into your blood reacted just like you said it would with the stuff he's been ingesting."

There were herbs James had been taking for years so that his blood would be poisonous to all supernatural beings. But there was one downside. When the herbs were mixed with a certain solution they could be toxic when they were otherwise harmless to humans. So, Stiles injected himself, knowing he would have to spill his blood one way or another. And his blood, his perfectly human blood, became toxic to the doctor.

"Where is he now?" Stiles asked, knowing the blood wouldn't have killed the man, he didn't want that anyways. But he feared the pack had killed the man, torn him to shreds, for what he had done.

Malia spoke up. "Derek is watching him just like you asked. I was about to leave to help out." She took her hands off of Stiles. "I don't understand why we aren't killing him."

A small smile came over Stiles' face. "I have to prove something to him." He looked down at his leg, wrapped heavily in gauze. "When can I leave here?" He looked around the hospital room only to see Melissa entering the room with a slightly pissed off look on her face.

"Never if you so blatantly ignore my orders again." Melissa put a hand on her hip. "Of all the stupid and idiotic things you boys have done this most definitely tops the cake. I can't believe you Stiles! You weren't even supposed to be out of the hospital and you went off to fight some super hunter? Are you trying to give me an aneurism?" She grabbed the chart at the end of the bed.

Letting out a breath Stiles shook his head. "I'm sorry Melissa."

"No, you're not. But you will be." She looked down at the chart and then back up at the boy who looked so drained. "However, your punishment can come later. Now you need rest."

Shaking his head Stiles tried to sit up. "No, I need to go see him. I need to deal with this and then I can rest." He saw that Melissa was going to disagree so he kept talking. "Melissa please, I have to do this. He is the reason for all of this. I have to show him that he was wrong. I have to…Melissa I need to. If not then my dad…" Stiles stopped himself before he made himself cry. "Just please get me out of here so we don't have to go behind your back again and sneak out." At least he was honest.

Pulling up to the old Hale house where they were keeping the new prisoner. Scott helped Stiles out of the car, wishing Stiles had agreed to take the wheelchair. "Are you sure about this? We could have waited until you were a little more healed to do this." Scott felt like he had to be even more protective after picking Liam over Stiles, even if Stiles had been the one to tell him to do so. He just felt like he had to make up for something.

Because they were best friends, and pack, Stiles could tell what Scott was feeling and what he was trying to do. "I'm fine Scott." It wasn't a convincing statement as he winced as he said it. "Okay, I'm not but I will be after I do this, I promise. Then you can baby me all you want. And I know this might not make you feel better, but I've dealt with much worse."

The two walked through the woods by the house making it to the underground basement where Derek and Liam were standing guard. "Stiles!" Liam stood up from where he was leaning against the wall. He wanted to hug his friend but restrained himself. "It's good to see you not in a life-threatening situation." He smiled and gave Stiles' shoulder a pat. "Thanks for saving me by the way."

Stiles smiled at the younger boy. "Ditto." Stiles ignored the confused look he got from the kid and limped over to Derek. "How badly did you hurt him?"

The older werewolf scoffed. "I restrained myself like I promised. He was falling weak pretty quickly anyways. More of your blood got on him than we planned. Malia was the one who we had to hold back." There was more to the story and Stiles just kept staring at him. "Okay, I punched him once maybe twice but he wasn't passing out quick enough for my liking so I helped the process along. No one has touched him since we tied him up though, I promise. We even gave him food and water."

Stiles smiled and put a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Good boy." He ignored the scowl he got. "Do you have the…"

Before he could finish his sentence Derek held up a little jar filled with a slightly purple liquid. "Deaton dropped it off early this morning." He put the jar in Stiles' hand. "I don't know why we don't just kill the man. How do we even know if this will work?"

"Remember that talk about trust we had a year or two ago?" Stiles raised an eyebrow. "You're just going to have to trust me. I…" He took a breath. "I was trained to make this stuff and to make sure it works, bring the supernatural and science together." Stiles put the jar into his pocket. "Just take me to him please. I want to get this over with."

They lead Stiles into the caged area where the man was being held, chained to a wall. As soon as the man looked up to see Stiles he smiled. "And look at who came to see me, my dear protégé." He pulled himself up, trying to look as if he hadn't been defeated. "So what's the plan? Are you going to torture me like I tortured you? What? Was letting your dogs kill me not good enough, not painful enough for me? Maybe I taught you better than I thought." He kept on a smug smile, keeping the pain from Stiles' betrayal hidden. He hated that he had failed with this one.

Stiles sat on the ground in front of the man who had changed him, but maybe not as much as everyone had worried. "You taught me a lot, I can't argue that. But you didn't accomplish your goal." He waited for the smile on his prisoner to falter just a little. "I'm not going to torture you or kill you, James. It's like I told you at the very beginning, we've found another way. It's what Scott has been preaching for a long time. What was it you told Scott when he was worrying about becoming like the alpha, Derek?"

His arms crossed and a deadly scowl set on his face aimed towards James, Derek spoke up with a calm and strong voice. "We're predators, we don't have to be killers."

Stiles nodded. "And they aren't killers. I'm not a killer. But you are. And that makes you the monster in the room." Stiles pulled out the small jar from his pocket. "You were right about one thing though, mixing the supernatural world with science can be an interesting thing. I never thought I'd like chemistry, I had a bad teacher in high school, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it now. You see this?" He held the jar up to the light. "This is a special mix of my own invention. A small deluded portion of it is Kanima venom. It's enough to leave you partially paralyzed to that you can never hunt again, but not enough to keep you from leaving a fulfilling and happy normal human life among citizens. I made sure it's effects would be permanent."

"That's not enough to keep me from hunting. Even paralyzed, I can do the job. Or at the very least I can just train more hunters. Maybe they won't be as great as you could but they will still be amazing." The man struggled against his restraints. He couldn't image a life outside of hunting monsters.

Tipping the jar side to side, Stiles nodded. He had thought of this too. He really did know his captor. "I know that. Didn't you notice the purple tent?" Stiles held the jar a little closer. "What do you know that could make that color James?" He watched as the realization came over James' face. "That's right, that tricky little tree root you told me all about. It will mess with your memory. You won't remember how to be a hunter." Stiles held an empty hand up and Derek put an empty syringe in his palm. "I'm going to inject you. You won't die and it won't hurt. You're going to black out and Derek will drive you a few towns over and you will wake up in a hospital and won't remember anything I don't want you to remember. You can go back to your family. You can live a happy life."

"I'd rather you kill me." The man laughed and sank back against the wall. "You're going to take away who I am."

Stiles shook his head and looked down at his hands as his filled the syringe. "No James, I'm giving you back who you once were. You're mentor took away a large part of you to make you into this. You were just an innocent kid whose dad died, lost in mourning and he took advantage of that. You lost yourself because of your training and because of him. I'm going to give you a second chance. And I promise you'll like this version of you a lot better." Stiles held the needle up to the man's arm. "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve a life like this."

"You could have been great." The man tried to pull his arm away any further but couldn't.

Scott stepped forward. "He already is."

With that Stiles pressed the needle into a vein and waited for it to take effect, making the man who had caused so much pain to slump to the floor completely blacked out. "Take him away, make sure you put that note with his name on it in his pocket but nothing else. He should be out it for another two days." Stiles gave the empty syringe to Liam to throw away as Derek went to deal with James and Scott began to pick Stiles up off the floor. "I'm tired."

Scott couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sure you are buddy."

After several hours of much needed sleep Stiles woke up with a startle from a nightmare and before he could even begin to calm himself down there were two hands on his shoulders. "Hey, it's okay, you're okay. Everything is over." Lydia was the one talking to him and holding him but beyond her Stiles could see the whole pack looking at him with worried eyes and he couldn't help but smile.

"I know." Stiles laid back down into the soft pillows. "Thanks guys, for everything." Stiles knew that there was going to be a long road to recovery before him, after all he was broken. But he had his pack, his family, looking after him and that was enough for him.

/So, I think that's the end. I might do an epilogue later on if people want it. But I hope you guys liked this. Sorry I got a little vague with the herbs and stuff but I realized that the specifics I had would have killed Stiles if he injected it into his blood so I just made it vague last minutes so I could put this up because I've made you wait for too long. So yeah, thank you so much for reading you guys!


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